Television advertising is no longer one simple bucket. A business can buy traditional linear television, connected TV, streaming video and combinations of all three. The terminology can make the decision sound more complicated than it needs to be.
The useful question is not “Which one is better?” It is “Which combination gives us the reach, audience, environment and flexibility we need for this campaign?”
What is traditional TV?
Linear TV is scheduled television programming delivered through traditional broadcast, cable, satellite or similar distribution. Viewers watch programming according to a schedule, and advertisers typically buy audiences around networks, programs, dayparts, markets and demographic groups.
For advertisers, linear television can be especially useful when the objective is broad awareness and scale. It can put a brand into premium, professionally produced programming and major live events while building reach across a market.
What is CTV?
Connected TV, or CTV, refers to television viewing that uses an internet-connected TV environment. That may involve a smart TV or a television connected through another internet-enabled device. Streaming services and broadcaster apps can deliver ad-supported video into this environment.
CTV brings digital-style buying and data capabilities into a television viewing experience. Depending on the inventory and provider, advertisers may be able to use geography, audience segments, first-party data or other targeting approaches, while serving video on a large screen.
So what is OTT?
OTT, or over-the-top, describes video content delivered over the internet rather than through a traditional pay-TV distribution path. The terms OTT and CTV are often used together, but they are not identical. CTV is closely associated with the device or TV-screen environment; OTT describes internet-delivered video.
Where the real opportunity is
Businesses sometimes treat linear TV and CTV as competitors. In practice, they can be complementary. People move between live television, broadcaster streaming apps and other streaming environments. A media plan can use more than one path to build coverage across that fragmented viewing behaviour.
The Canadian TV advertising ecosystem now includes linear, streaming and programmatic environments, along with multiple data and technology partners. IAB Canada describes this convergence as an increasingly complex landscape for planning, buying and measurement.
THE SIMPLE TAKE
Don’t choose CTV because it sounds newer, and don’t choose linear TV because it feels familiar. Choose the mix that solves the audience problem.
When linear TV may make sense
Consider linear TV when broad reach is important; your audience indexes well to television; you want the impact of premium programming or live events; the geography can be efficiently purchased; or you need to build awareness quickly.
When CTV may make sense
Consider CTV when you want television-style video with more precise audience or geographic controls; you want to complement a linear campaign; your audience is distributed across streaming environments; or digital-style delivery and measurement are important to the plan.
When should you use both?
Often, the strongest answer is not TV or CTV. It is an intentional combination. Linear can contribute scale, while CTV can help extend video reach into streaming environments and add targeting flexibility. The allocation should be based on audience duplication, available inventory, geography, budget and campaign objective—not a predetermined percentage.
Questions to ask before you buy
• Who exactly are we trying to reach?
• How much of that audience can each option realistically reach?
• What geography are we buying?
• What level of frequency do we need?
• Where will the ads run, and in what content environments?
• How will delivery be measured?
• Are we paying for incremental reach or simply duplicating the same audience?
Bottom line
CTV has not made television obsolete. It has made television buying more varied. The opportunity for advertisers is to stop thinking in labels and start thinking in audiences, screens and outcomes.
Not sure how linear TV and CTV should fit into your plan? Ask Simple. We’ll help you determine where video belongs—and where it doesn’t.
Sources / reference material
IAB Canada — Canadian TV Advertising Landscape / CTV resources
https://iabcanada.com/resource/connected-tv-resources-centre/
IAB Canada — Canadian TV Advertising Landscape glossary
https://iabcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Canadian-TV-Advertising-Landscape-2026-January.pdf
thinktv — TV Basics
https://thinktv.ca/research/tv-basics/