Connected TV (CTV) means television content delivered over the internet rather than over broadcast or cable. The hardware ranges from smart TVs (Samsung, LG, TCL with built-in smart TV operating systems) to streaming devices (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast) to gaming consoles. The content ranges from ad-supported streaming apps (Hulu, Pluto, Tubi, Roku Channel, Peacock with ads) to ad-supported tiers of subscription services (Netflix with ads, Disney+ with ads).
CTV ads are typically fifteen or thirty seconds, full-screen, can run with sound on (because the audience is at home with the TV's audio active), and are bought programmatically through DSPs that connect to CTV-specific SSPs. CPMs for CTV are high — $25 to $60 — because attention quality is high and inventory is constrained.
Bar TV networks like Atmosphere TV technically deliver via internet-connected screens, which puts them in a 'sorta-CTV' category. The distinction that matters for media planners is the audience context: home CTV viewers are on a couch with sound on; bar TV viewers are in a venue with sound off. The audience composition, attention pattern, and creative requirements differ. Highfloor treats them as separate channels.