Nobody seems to want to be in the TV business these days.
Well, no, that’s not really accurate. It’s just that companies in the CTV advertising space don’t want the device itself to be just a TV anymore.
Instead of simply watching ads on the big screen, consumers are now being encouraged to interact with those ads – a shift in marketing that was particularly apparent at the 2025 NewFronts presentations in New York City this week.
Just look at all the slogans being used in the larger presentations: “The Future of Connection” for LG Ads, “Beyond the Glass” for Vizio, “Go Beyond” for Samsung Ads. (To say nothing of the latter’s announcement of possibly bringing ads to smart fridges!)
Rather than a passive, “lean back” experience, LG Ads Chief Marketing Officer Tony Marlow told his audience on Monday, TV is “becoming the launch pad to proactive, lean-forward experiences.” Or, at least, that’s the goal.
Night of a thousand QR codes
So what makes people lean forward in the first place?
Interactivity, apparently.
Take Samsung Ads, for example. A few months ago, the company publicly launched its first GameBreaks ad format, a trivia minigame that’s playable by TV remote. On Tuesday, eight new games were announced for later in the year, alongside a new “ShoppingBreak” format, that look, at least in the preview photos, not unlike the kind of shoppable ads you see on TikTok or other social platforms.
While most of those formats are still in development, in the meantime, there’s Creative Canvas, a product offering that Samsung bills as a way for advertisers to layer interactive elements like QR codes on existing creative stock, including vertical video.
Going beyond Samsung (if you’ll pardon the joke), LG Ads also made its own pitch for “shoppable moments” that feature QR codes, add-to-cart capabilities and 3D gamified ad experiences via a partnership with BrightLine. So did Vizio, which touted its “in-stream” shoppable ad formats with built-in product highlights.
And Tubi even made interactive ads the highlight of its post-NewFronts press release. The company announced new branded storefronts powered by the platform’s recent Shopsense AI partnership, as well as scrollable carousel formats that can feature CTAs, virtual showrooms and (surprise!) QR codes.
For advertisers, data scientists and measurement vendors, the appeal of an interactive ad is pretty obvious. Traditional TV was always seen as a brand awareness play rather than an actual performance channel, and although CTV has long been touted as a more digital-driven, outcomes-based alternative, getting the technology up to speed has been slow going.
“What we’ve heard time and time again for our advertisers is they want a way to actually measure the performance of their advertising that actually drives intended interest or consideration, whether it’s to their website or their mobile app,” Travis Scott Howe, global head of new product solutions at Samsung Ads, told me the week before NewFronts.
And if a consumer is taking the time to press buttons on their remote or scan a QR code (tired of hearing about those yet?), it’s a clear indication that they’re paying attention and willing to engage.
Not all that’s programmed is programmatic
Ok, so interactive ads are the next big thing. How do you actually buy them?
Not programmatically, if Samsung Ads is any indication. Although VP & Head of Ad Sales & Operations Michael Scott said that they’re not opposed to the idea, their tech still requires “much more of an integrated hand holding” to properly execute via an open, biddable system.
However, programmatic continues to have a place at NewFronts – more obviously so on Wednesday’s IAB MainStage, which this year hosted over 20 different companies in the CTV and digital advertising spaces.
(And, yes, some of them, like in-airport content network ReachTV and kid-friendly CTV ad platform Future Today, also promoted their own interactive ad formats, too.)
IAB CEO David Cohen said he’s noticed some other overlapping trends between the big and small presentations. These include an emphasis on new generative AI technology and data distribution, increases in commerce media partnerships and greater collaboration with existing members of the online creator economy.
But compared to 10 years ago, programmatic and measurement-related innovations are starting to take up way more space.
“Content is always part of the equation, but I do think that [now] it’s much more about unique data assets, unique technology assets, an ability to measure – I think that’s much more front and center than it has been historically,” said Cohen.
“Programmatic is certainly here to stay,” he added. “It’s just going to continue to sprout wings in different ways.”
And maybe, someday soon, some of those wings will have trivia questions on them.
Questions? Thoughts? Let me know what you think of the newsletter at [email protected].
☔☔☔ It’s been a soggy, rain-drenched week in New York City for NewFronts, and it looks it’ll be the same during upfronts next week. Which is why I’m extra excited for Programmatic IO: Innovate to kick off later this month. What better way to escape spring showers than hanging out at a desert oasis? There’s still time to get tickets and join us in Las Vegas from May 19-21, where we’ll discuss the future of FAST ads, programmatic CTV buying and more. See you there, and here’s hoping the only umbrellas we encounter are the ones in our drinks.
