Connected TV Maturing, FreeWheel Finds; More Viewing That Way, eMarketer Says

Connected TV (CTV) is maturing, with similar usage to linear TV, a Comcast unit reported Thursday. And eMarketer says more consumers are watching on connected sets. "No longer an emerging technology," CTV "is a destination for premium video viewing," said FreeWheel. "CTV is now a mature platform,” said David Dworin, vice president-advisory services. “The viewing patterns we’re seeing on CTV are mirroring what we’ve historically seen in linear TV." EMarketer says over 60% of the U.S. population is expected to view video content on connected TV in 2020, FreeWheel reported: Digital video viewers surpassed 235 million last year, or more than 70% of the population. As CTV demand continues to grow, “the potential for fraudulent activity increases,” said the study: Companies are developing ways to certify and authenticate viewership to ensure viewers are human audiences.