Wurl's Latest CTV Trends Report Reveals Significant Gaps in Streaming TV Content Transparency

New research finds the overwhelming majority of CTV ad requests lack usable program names, while inconsistent genre data creates additional challenges for advertisers seeking more precise targeting and greater visibility into streaming inventory

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wurl, a leader in the streaming TV industry, today released The CTV Trends Report: Addressing the Content Signal Gap, revealing significant limitations in the information available to advertisers about the streaming TV inventory they're purchasing. In an analysis of bidstream metadata, Wurl found that the large majority (89%) of connected TV (CTV) ad requests lacked a usable program name, while 15% carried little to no genre information, highlighting persistent challenges around content transparency in programmatic CTV advertising.

The findings come as ad-supported streaming TV continues to attract growing audiences, but advertising investment has yet to keep pace. Daily viewing hours increased nearly 12% year over year during the first eight months of 2026 according to Wurl’s data. At the same time, eMarketer estimates that even though CTV accounts for approximately 20% of the time adults spend with media, it captures less than a tenth of advertising budgets. Greater transparency and richer streaming content signals can help close this divide between time spent and ad spend by giving advertisers the information they need to make more informed buying decisions.

“Free ad-supported streaming TV has spent the past several years proving that audiences will show up. As the market matures, the next question is how we create more value from that viewing – for advertisers, publishers, and the broader streaming ecosystem,” said Dave Bernath, CEO of Wurl. “That means getting smarter about the inventory itself and giving buyers a clearer understanding of what they’re buying.”

Key findings from the report include:

• Buyers are missing the basics: Nearly 9 in 10 CTV ad requests lacked usable program information, with channel information also frequently missing.
• Content classification is far from standardized: Thousands of different genre labels appeared in just a two-hour window, highlighting inconsistencies across the CTV ecosystem.
• Available data doesn't always reflect reality: Even when genre information is provided, it doesn't always align with what's actually on screen.

The report highlights a growing disconnect between the sophistication of CTV advertising technology and the quality of the content signals available to buyers. While advanced contextual solutions can now analyze streaming content at the scene level in real time, fragmented data standards and inconsistent access to inventory continue to limit their adoption at scale. Closing this gap will require stronger connections between content intelligence, streaming inventory, and programmatic demand.

Wurl is helping address these challenges through its Content Intelligence Platform, which connects advanced contextual signals directly to premium streaming inventory. The Content Intelligence Platform builds on Wurl's access to streaming content and our data partners’ capabilities to add rich contextual signals to the bidstream. Moving beyond standard genre and program metadata, the platform helps scale new contextual signals such as scene-level emotions, object-level recognition, and brand suitability. Launched in September 2026, Wurl’s Content Intelligence Platform gives demand-side platforms (DSPs) access to more than 140 billion monthly signal-rich CTV impressions across the majority of ad-supported streaming, making sophisticated contextual targeting more accessible and scalable.

Explore the key findings, along with what it will take to close the content signal gap and unlock more value from streaming TV advertising, in The CTV Trends Report: Addressing the Content Signal Gap.

About Wurl

Wurl is a leader in the streaming TV industry, developing innovative technologies for the delivery of content and ads on TV. The company supports publishers, streamers, and advertisers in growing viewership, maximizing revenue, and strengthening brand value. Wurl, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ: APP). For more information, visit www.wurl.com.

Tori Owens
Wurl
press@wurl.com