The news: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Tech Lab expanded its connected TV (CTV) measurement framework to include emerging formats like pause, home screen, and overlay ads. The update is reflected in the IAB’s Open Measurement SDK and is meant to standardize impressions-based reporting for these non-traditional ad types.

“As more advertisers look at pause ads, home screen ads, and other new CTV formats, they need to know exactly what they’re buying and how it’s being measured,” Jill Wittkopp, vice president of product at the IAB Tech Lab, told EMARKETER. “Having a common set of standards gives buyers that confidence and makes it easier for publishers to bring these formats to market.”

Why this matters: Measurement standards for emerging CTV ad formats could help advertisers plan their channel strategies more efficiently. A shared definition for what counts as an impression gives a concrete benchmark to transact against, reducing ambiguities that could lead to wasteful spend. This is especially important for unorthodox ad types like home screen placements, which don’t take up an entire screen in the way a classic, mid-roll buy does.

Emerging CTV formats have already created a new supply of prime real estate for advertisers because they occupy space that’s far less saturated compared with traditional inventory. Additional clarity into the relationship between placements and impressions gives advertisers an easier path to deploying relevant creative and generating the unique returns that these formats can offer, such as stronger ad likeability and deeper engagement.

Implications for advertisers: While the IAB’s guidance isn’t enforceable, sellers have a real incentive to adopt a common standard. Nearly half of US ad buyers expected to see improvements in CTV measurement and attribution standards over the next 12 months in April, per our survey. Meeting these expectations is a crucial way for sellers to drive more spend to their offerings.

But measuring impressions is just the first step. Advertisers ultimately need to prove lower-funnel metrics to determine the true effectiveness of—and budget for—emerging CTV ad formats.

Until this becomes consistently possible, pause and home screen ads should continue to be viewed as support for in-content placements, even if the latter is a more saturated ad space. Proving outcomes from mid-roll inventory also has its problems, but the fact that it’s the only media on the screen simplifies attribution.

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