The Gracenote Report: Bridging Data Gaps for Elevated CTV Ad Budgets
Gracenote, a prominent division of Nielsen focused on content intelligence, has recently published a compelling report shedding light on the state of connected TV (CTV) advertising. As the media landscape continues to evolve, this report, titled "TV Audiences Have Shifted. Ad Dollars Have Not: The Need for Content Intelligence in the CTV Era," addresses what's being termed the 'CTV Data Gap.' This gap illustrates the obstacles advertisers face when trying to allocate their budgets more confidently into CTV.
According to the report, an impressive 86% of U.S. media planners expressed willingness to divert more funding from traditional linear TV to CTV, provided they have access to show-level targeting and performance metrics. Furthermore, the results indicate that many are even open to reallocating resources from programmatic and display advertising, demonstrating the potential for CTV to gain a larger share of the advertising dollar in a competitive ecosystem.
A key issue contributing to this reallocation hesitation is the lack of a standardized view regarding programming characteristics at the level of individual ad impressions. Gracenote’s research indicates that without this clear content analytics layer, many advertisers feel uncertain throughout the stages of ad planning and post-campaign analysis, which in turn, leads to reluctance in committing significant funds to CTV initiatives.
“Advertisers aren't seeking more complexity; rather, they desire the transparency that has always been a cornerstone of traditional TV,” remarked Ryan Moore, Chief Business Officer at Gracenote. He emphasized that providing show-level insights in CTV is vital for enhancing the appeal of CTV, making it not only competitive against conventional broadcasting but also among the broader digital advertising formats. When advertisers can validate ad placements and their impact effectively, the perceived value of CTV improves dramatically.
Gracenote introduces the Content Graph, a powerful tool designed to bridge the data gap by furnishing advertisers with validated insights into CTV inventory. Features like genre classification, ratings, language, and comprehensive program-level metadata enhance targeting capabilities while bolstering brand safety measures.
A practical example from the report involves a Dos Equis advertisement in Q1 of 2026, executed by dentsu X. This campaign effectively utilized Gracenote's CTV insights to meticulously target college football fans. The initiative achieved remarkable precision, with all impressions delivered within designated college football content — notably, 84% during live College Football Playoff games — all while maintaining costs per thousand impressions (CPMs) that were 7% lower than industry benchmarks.
Additional noteworthy findings from Gracenote's report include:
In closing, the findings from Gracenote outline the necessity for advertisers, agencies, and media partners to embrace improved content intelligence to not only optimize their budgeting strategies but also to engage more fully with the CTV framework. A full copy of the report can be downloaded for those interested in a deeper dive into these insightful findings.
The insights were gathered through an online survey conducted from March 5 to March 23, 2026, involving 500 media professionals across America, including media planners, linear TV buyers, and programmatic traders.
Gracenote is a vital component of Nielsen's content intelligence efforts, standardizing the media landscape by enhancing the ways both content and associated information are indexed. The company’s technology spans over 50 million titles and 80,000 channels, enhancing search and discovery experiences for millions of users worldwide, available in more than 70 languages. For more insights into Gracenote and their offerings, visit their official website.
According to the report, an impressive 86% of U.S. media planners expressed willingness to divert more funding from traditional linear TV to CTV, provided they have access to show-level targeting and performance metrics. Furthermore, the results indicate that many are even open to reallocating resources from programmatic and display advertising, demonstrating the potential for CTV to gain a larger share of the advertising dollar in a competitive ecosystem.
A key issue contributing to this reallocation hesitation is the lack of a standardized view regarding programming characteristics at the level of individual ad impressions. Gracenote’s research indicates that without this clear content analytics layer, many advertisers feel uncertain throughout the stages of ad planning and post-campaign analysis, which in turn, leads to reluctance in committing significant funds to CTV initiatives.
“Advertisers aren't seeking more complexity; rather, they desire the transparency that has always been a cornerstone of traditional TV,” remarked Ryan Moore, Chief Business Officer at Gracenote. He emphasized that providing show-level insights in CTV is vital for enhancing the appeal of CTV, making it not only competitive against conventional broadcasting but also among the broader digital advertising formats. When advertisers can validate ad placements and their impact effectively, the perceived value of CTV improves dramatically.
Gracenote introduces the Content Graph, a powerful tool designed to bridge the data gap by furnishing advertisers with validated insights into CTV inventory. Features like genre classification, ratings, language, and comprehensive program-level metadata enhance targeting capabilities while bolstering brand safety measures.
A practical example from the report involves a Dos Equis advertisement in Q1 of 2026, executed by dentsu X. This campaign effectively utilized Gracenote's CTV insights to meticulously target college football fans. The initiative achieved remarkable precision, with all impressions delivered within designated college football content — notably, 84% during live College Football Playoff games — all while maintaining costs per thousand impressions (CPMs) that were 7% lower than industry benchmarks.
Additional noteworthy findings from Gracenote's report include:
- - A remarkable 89% of media planners foresee reallocating budgets from linear TV to CTV within the next one to two years, highlighting the momentum CTV is building.
- - All programmatic traders surveyed (100%) cited that show-level transparency is essential for maintaining brand safety and ensuring the quality of inventory in CTV.
- - A significant 95% indicated that lacking show-level data inhibits their ability to argue for increased CTV budgets during planning sessions.
- - 80% of traders would prefer directing funds from audience-targeted campaigns to those that are contextually driven, supported by actionable content signals.
- - Nearly half (47%) of media planners identified insufficient access to show- or content-level data as a major hindrance to investing more extensively in CTV.
In closing, the findings from Gracenote outline the necessity for advertisers, agencies, and media partners to embrace improved content intelligence to not only optimize their budgeting strategies but also to engage more fully with the CTV framework. A full copy of the report can be downloaded for those interested in a deeper dive into these insightful findings.
Methodology
The insights were gathered through an online survey conducted from March 5 to March 23, 2026, involving 500 media professionals across America, including media planners, linear TV buyers, and programmatic traders.
About Gracenote
Gracenote is a vital component of Nielsen's content intelligence efforts, standardizing the media landscape by enhancing the ways both content and associated information are indexed. The company’s technology spans over 50 million titles and 80,000 channels, enhancing search and discovery experiences for millions of users worldwide, available in more than 70 languages. For more insights into Gracenote and their offerings, visit their official website.
Topics Entertainment & Media）
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