The CTV Journey Starts Before You Think It Does

Key Takeaways

• Home screen ads capture attention before any app loads
• Only 31% of marketers view TV turn‑on as journey start
• TiVo Ads reports 98% video completion on home screen units
• 67% plan to boost home screen spend within 12 months
• Home screen placements deliver incremental reach without duplication

Pulse Analysis

The way viewers interact with television has fundamentally changed. Instead of tuning into a scheduled program, most consumers power on a smart TV and immediately confront a home‑screen interface that aggregates apps, recommendations and ads. This moment signals intent: the remote is in hand, the voice command has been spoken, and attention is active. Advertisers that treat the home screen as a distinct media environment can reach audiences before they fragment across multiple platforms, capturing a pure, undiluted impression that traditional in‑stream ads cannot match.

Performance data underscores the opportunity. TiVo Ads reports that its auto‑expanding home‑screen units achieve a 98% video completion rate and a 2‑3% click‑through rate, far surpassing typical pre‑roll benchmarks. Early adopters—initially media and entertainment brands—are now joined by travel, automotive, luxury, quick‑service restaurants and sports‑betting firms, all seeking to influence longer purchase journeys at the earliest decision point. The technology behind the home screen—whether a smart‑TV OS or a pay‑TV interface—offers exclusive access to the first moment of attention, eliminating duplication and delivering truly incremental reach.

The industry’s planning frameworks are lagging behind this shift. While only a third of marketers currently view the turn‑on moment as the start of the journey, 43% now prioritize incremental reach as a key CTV outcome, and two‑thirds intend to increase home‑screen investments within the next year. As measurement tools evolve to capture these early‑stage interactions, brands that re‑allocate spend toward home‑screen inventory will likely secure a strategic advantage, moving from experimental pilots to a core component of CTV strategy.