Linear TV vs. Connected TV: The Frequency Problem Marketers Can’t Ignore

After running Linear TV vs. Digital measurement studies for the past decade, one pattern remains consistent:

Dolllar for dollar, more times than not, Linear TV campaigns have 3x higher frequency than CTV. And here’s the issue, without frequency capping, that’s a lot of wasted impressions.

Why This Happens:

✅ Linear can’t control frequency. If someone watches the same channel daily, they’ll likely see the same ad over and over due to the upfront nature of Linear TV.

✅ CTV is transacted programmatically, and therefore lets you set caps, allowing the marketer to control how often someone sees your ad

✅ Heavy TV viewers skew the data. A portion of the audience gets bombarded, while others barely see the ad at all.

What This Means for Marketers:

🔹 Wasted Spend: Those extra impressions aren’t incremental reach, they’re just oversaturation for the same people.

🔹 Diminishing Returns: Seeing an ad 5+ times in a week doesn’t necessarily make someone more likely to convert.

🔹 Smarter Budgeting: CTV gives brands more control, meaning less waste and more efficient reach.

How to Fix It?

📌 Use digital measurement to quantify true reach & frequency.

📌 Balance TV & digital to optimize reach without overexposure.

📌 Consider CTV as a bridge, more control than linear, but the big-screen impact remains.

Linear TV still has its place, but without frequency controls, a huge chunk of ad dollars get wasted on the same eyeballs. Smart marketers are shifting spend to platforms where they can actually control the user experience. 🚀

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