A new study reveals trends in CTV, targeting, and sustainability for the European digital media industry.

As the programmatic ecosystem prepares for the deprecation of the third-party cookie, the proportion of campaigns run via CTV across Europe is set to increase substantially while brands and agencies alike lean more into curated media buys.

The market is also recognising the importance of sustainability, investing heavily in practical efforts to reduce carbon emissions. This is according to a new research report, CTV, Targeting, and Sustainability - Europe 2023-2024, published by ExchangeWire, in association with OpenX.

As brands and agencies recognise the increased attention and premium inventory CTV offers, they are flocking to the channel en-masse, with a majority of marketers reporting that in the next two years, at least 40 percent of their campaigns will be running via CTV. Meanwhile, the reliance on third-party cookies is steadily decreasing, with probabilistic identity graphs coming to the fore, especially in European markets.

“As the programmatic ecosystem collectively prepares for a huge shift, it’s really encouraging to see how significantly brands and agencies have embraced curation and programmatic CTV to continue to reach their desired audiences effectively,” says Joseph Worswick, VP, EMEA, and head of sustainability at OpenX. “OpenX is committed to building innovative solutions that help ensure both publisher health and buyer success as we enter a new era of programmatic.”

Highlights from the report include:

• A majority of respondents stated that at least 40% of campaigns will be run on CTV in the next 24 months.
• Two-thirds of brands and agencies are engaging in programmatic CTV buys, via both managed service providers and self-service platforms.
• Six-in-ten respondents stated that 40% or less of their inventory is reliant upon third-party cookies, as probabilistic identity graphs and CTV rise in their wake.
• Just 3% of media buyers report only advertising against traditional linear TV.
• 75% of marketers deem sustainability metrics to be a top priority for their businesses, representing a sizable increase from the 43% recorded last year.