Brand owners are being offered a more comprehensive view of connected TV – claimed to be the fastest growing channel in the UK – with deeper insights into spend as well as competitor analysis, allowing advertisers to optimise media strategies, benchmark performance, and even improve ROI.
The move comes as data and analytics giant Nielsen’s enhances its Ad Intel service in the UK, following recent US and Germany releases.
According to the IAB, CTV advertising spend is predicted to almost double by 2028, reaching £2.94bn in the UK alone.
It is claimed the upgrade will enable adspend to be tracked across all major streaming platforms, alongside linear TV, digital, and other media types already available.
The aim is to help advertisers to understand a complete cross-platform view of their competitors’ media strategies, giving greater visibility into where they are investing, and how budgets are shifting between linear TV, CTV, and other digital channels.
It is claimed that clients will then be able to make more informed decisions regarding how CTV fits into the broader media mix.
The scheme will also allow brands to track CTV investment in their own industry by showing which platforms and creative approaches are driving the most spend, to identify gaps and opportunities in advertising strategies.
Advertisers will also be able to see what messaging and creatives their rivals are using and how ads are positioned across different CTV platforms, while getting a detailed breakdown of ad performance across different delivery methods – in-app, browser, and smart TV – to refine targeting and maximise ROI.
In addition, brands will be able to use competitive and creative insights to adjust spend, strengthen creative messaging, and increase campaign effectiveness.
This upgrade, which will be available in September, will provide a comprehensive view of UK CTV ad spend across major platforms including All 4, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, ITVX, My5, Netflix, Now, Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV), Freeview, Sky (sky stream), Tubi, and U (formerly UKTV Play), among others.
It is also part of Nielsen’s ongoing strategic investments in its Ad Intel product to improve and enhance digital coverage.
Nielsen general manager EMEA Inam Mahmood said:”Marketers today grapple with a fragmented media landscape, struggling to allocate adspend effectively and cut through the noise.
“Our Annual Marketing Report underscores this challenge, revealing that 56% of global marketers intend to increase their CTV spending in 2025 – a clear indicator of the channel’s rising prominence.
“By integrating CTV coverage into our Ad Intel product, we’re equipping clients with the most comprehensive advertising intelligence available. This empowers advertisers, agencies, publishers, and broadcasters to make smarter decisions, optimise their media strategies, benchmark performance, and significantly improve their ROI.
“The UK launch is a pivotal moment as we continue to roll out this capability across the EMEA region.”
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