More B2B organizations are asking whether connected television (CTV) is a viable option as traditional digital marketing channels face unprecedented challenges. With AI-powered search threatening click-throughs and the cost of social media ads rising, B2B advertisers are seeking alternatives that offer both precision and scale. IAB reports that CTV spending will increase 13.8% in 2025, which makes it one of the fastest-growing media channels. But is CTV a good fit for B2B organizations?

The Current Economics Of CTV Are Already Compelling For B2B Advertisers

Today’s CTV platforms offer sophisticated targeting capabilities based on IP addresses, allowing B2B marketers to reach decision-makers in specific industries, company sizes, and within specific organizations. Nearly every B2B revenue marketing platform provides access to targeted CTV inventory, and Forrester has found that nearly 40% of business decision-makers use television once per day or more to keep up with business topics and trends.

And unlike linear TV, which requires massive budgets, long-term commitments, and complex access to audience reach and inventory through careful planning and insertion orders, CTV platforms offer flexible pricing models and abundant inventory across various targeting options and streaming services.

The costs are currently reasonable, and audience engagement outpaces many other channels. The TV advertising platform MNTN reports an average cost of just $0.03 per completed advertisement view and an average return on ad spend of 4.36x. And according to Demandbase, customers running CTV and display campaigns side by side reported an increase in domains visited by 46%, lifted by 21%, and clicked by 54%.

AI Will Lower Video Costs But Won’t Be The Secret To Success

The democratization of content creation through AI tools will play a crucial role in CTV’s growth and viability for B2B organizations. Videos that once required expensive production can be created with AI-powered video creation tools at a much lower cost, enabling more B2B organizations to produce and test more content variations than in the past.

And while the quality of AI-created video content is a concern, the real concern for B2B advertisers should be whether or not their videos will positively influence their audiences.

Just because the technical and financial barriers to CTV advertising have fallen, creative concepts will remain a formidable challenge. Return on investment in video advertising still heavily depends on the quality of the creative concept and the translation of that concept into a favorable experience. Truly talented creative professionals who understand the medium, B2B audiences, and B2B organizations are rare.

CTV Ads Will Get Worse, Then Get Better

This scarcity of creative talent, combined with the lower production costs and increased accessibility of CTV advertising, may actually lead to a temporary decline in average ad quality and favorability among audiences.

As more companies rush to capitalize on CTV’s opportunities without investing in top-tier creative talent, business buyers are likely to see a flood of mediocre content that fails to capture audience attention or drive meaningful business results.

But this shouldn’t discourage B2B companies from exploring CTV advertising. Instead, it highlights the importance of advancing to new horizons while preserving the fundamentals of good marketing: The future of CTV or any emerging marketing channel is still about reaching people with the right message.

As you build your CTV strategy, remember that while technology can help you deliver your message more efficiently, it’s the creative human experience that will ultimately determine your success.