2024 was a banner year for OTT (Over-The-Top) advertising at Arena. We saw huge growth in the use of OTT with our Republican campaign and conservative advocacy group clients.
Whether you call it OTT, CTV, or streaming video, it’s all programming coming through your internet connection.
OTT advertising is the fastest-growing digital medium and that growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Globally, OTT video revenue is expected to grow from $169 billion in 2024 to $230 billion in 2029, according to pwc.com.
OTT is the primary place where any audience will see advertising.
Considering the growing importance of OTT in political advertising, our digital media team took time during the offseason to reflect on what we learned. Ultimately, there were 5 lessons:
- Supply Path Optimization is Key
- Different Rates for Different Quality
- Segmenting OTT Models Increases Reach
- Handle OTT Creative with Care
- Work With Pros, Not Joes
It’s important to note that some of these lessons may not be relevant to your experience in running the day-to-day of a political campaign. However, they are important topics you might want to discuss with current or prospective media partners.
Let’s Break Down the 5 OTT Lessons We Learned
To run successful political online video and streaming TV advertising campaigns in the 2026 election cycle and beyond, here’s what you need to know:
1. Supply Path Optimization is Key for OTT
Supply Path Optimization (SPO) is a strategy that streamlines the buying process by reducing intermediaries and increasing transparency, ultimately leading to more efficient ad delivery.
To find success, media buyers in the Republican advertising space need to focus on optimizing the path between advertisers and publishers in the programmatic ecosystem. SPO minimizes the number of intermediaries like Supply Side Platforms (SSPs) and Demand Side Platforms (DSPs), etc.
Not all intermediaries can be eliminated, but experienced media buying organizations have learned to streamline the SPO by:
- Partnering directly with quality publishers for specific inventory, eliminating the DSPs and SSPs
- Developing their own measurement & verification tools, instead of paying a 3rd party for that service
- Working with sophisticated DSPs who have eliminated intermediaries, like ad exchanges and trading desks
SPO allows advertisers to get more impressions for their dollar. In other words, more actual people will see your ads, more often.
2. Different Rates for Different Quality
Media buyers must shift from the unfair practice of charging single rates for inventory to charging different rates for different qualities.
You should be paying less for lower-quality inventory. For example, Hulu, NBC and ESPN inventory is premium inventory. You should not have to pay the same price for lower-quality inventory found, for example, on a low-tier dog-sitting channel.
More sophisticated OTT traders have interment knowledge of win rates and thus are better equipped to buy for different quality inventory.
This model ensures you get the best value. When you spend top dollar, you get top quality.
3. Segmenting OTT Models Increases Reach
There’s a lot of OTT inventory, but it’s generally segmented into three different models that all have differing reach potential:
- SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) requires a subscription fee for ad-free access, or a smaller price with ads
- AVOD (Advertising-based Video On Demand) provides on-demand content with personalized ad experiences
- FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) offers linear, scheduled programming similar to traditional TV, with ads inserted into the stream. This is the fastest-growing model in streaming, according to Amagi.com.
Understanding these three models allows media buyers to offer clients a media mix that provides the best possible reach within their target audience.
4. Handle OTT Creative with Care
Treat your OTT creative with care—it’s not the same environment as social media advertising. For example, existing online video creative may work in OTT, but it’s not often the case.
Audiences consume content OTT differently than on social and short-form video platforms—often in a more relaxed and focused environment that is more akin to linear TV.
Creative for OTT differs from other social video advertising in that it:
- Has a higher quality (4K typical) and full-screen aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9)
- Typically has lengths of 15 or 30 seconds and is created to engage a more relaxed audience watching content with the sound on and fewer distractions
- Has more polished, brand-consistent visuals
- Is not skippable, with less need to include important details up front
Ultimately, OTT advertising creative—that is more like linear TV advertising than it is like social advertising on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram—will see better performance.
5. Work with Pros, Not Joes
Our clients have found that working with top professionals will have much better results and satisfaction levels. As such, conservative campaigns and organizations should consider working with a media team that:
- Works with multiple sources and platforms (DSPs) to provide improved incremental reach
- Has an in-house buying team that does not farm out buying to a third party or managed service
- Is closest to the source of inventory, with few to no middlemen in the supply chain
- Understands and communicates differences in the quality and variety of OTT programming
- Understands the interplay between reach, effective frequency thresholds, and value
- Understands the technical implications of reach, frequency, auction win rates, and fair value CPMs so that you don’t overpay for low-quality inventory, oversaturate small segments of an audience and completely miss other segments.
Partner with Arena for Winning OTT Advertising Services
Since 2010, Arena has helped conservative political campaigns and mission-based organizations run high-quality, precision-targeted digital advertising campaigns.
Let’s talk about how we can help you add OTT to your political advertising media mix. Schedule a complimentary consultation and learn how OTT advertising can power your next big political win. Don’t wait — start learning how to do OTT right today and prepare your campaign for winning on Election Day.
