OTT & CTV
Transform your cross-platform campaigns with Branch's OTT/CTV support
OTT & CTV
Access to Branch's OTT & CTV requires premium product access. Please reach out to your account manager or https://branch.io/pricing/ to activate.
Overview
Users are spending more time on Over-the-Top (OTT) devices and platforms than ever before, making it an increasingly important part of any cross-platform growth strategy. However, marketers who do run ads over OTT have traditionally struggled to understand the impact of their campaigns. Having an accurate attribution provider is essential to your OTT strategy. Branch’s attribution support for OTT allows you to measure down-funnel events, giving you a holistic view of your users’ journeys and the data you need to optimize your campaigns
What is OTT & CTV?
- OTT (over-the-top) refers to video streaming content providers over the internet, as opposed to traditional TV. These are streaming media services with ads like Hulu, Netflix, and Disney+ that deliver content to smart TVs, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and gaming consoles.
- CTV (connected TV) refers to devices that enable streaming video over the internet, e.g. smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles.
The terms ‘OTT and CTV’ are often used interchangeably. At Branch, our OTT support encompasses both.
Support
| Feature | Details | Roku | Amazon Fire TV | Apple TV | Android TV | Samsung TV | Xbox | LG | Panasonic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement and Install Ads | Understand which ad impressions and clicks drove installs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pre-Install Tracking | Measure app installs from apps packaged with your partner platforms | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Session Counts | Measure daily installs, opens, and session length | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Deep Linking | Route users to in-app content directly from the ad | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| App-to-App Activity | Measure user journeys to and from your various OTT apps | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Conversion Events | Attribute conversions back to the last ad seen or Branch Link clicked | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Partner Events | Forward activity from partners directly to Branch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| GDPR Compliance | Ability to comply with GDPR requirements. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Quick Links Support | Usage of Branch Quick Links in your OTT campaigns. | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| QR Code Support | Usage of Branch QR Codes in your OTT campaigns. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cross-Device Attribution (beta) | Capture mobile app conversions and events triggered by CTV ads on the same IP address. | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
How does it work?
Same-Device
- You, as an advertiser, serve an ad for your app on a CTV platform (ex. Roku, FireTV).
- User downloads your app on their smart TV.
- Your app will have the Branch SDK installed.
- Branch connects with your ad partner (who served your ad) and attributes the install & downstream app events to the ad partner.
Cross-Device
Attribution Support
Cross-Device attribution works for installs that happen on the same home IP address.
- You, as an advertiser, serve an ad for your app on a CTV platform (ex. Roku, FireTV).
- User downloads your app on their mobile app.
- Your app will have the Branch SDK installed.
- Branch connects with your ad partner (who served your ad) and attributes the install & downstream app events to the ad partner.
What does it look like?
The Branch Dashboard will be your central source for measuring all of your OTT-related campaigns.
OTT Analytics
Beta
OTT Analytics with Branch is currently in beta. Please be aware that there may be unexpected bugs/behaviors until the full release. Please reach out to your Branch account manager to get access to OTT Analytics
OTT Analytics is a dedicated screen in the Branch Dashboard that allows you to accurately measure and analyze campaigns in one place. With this, there is no need to filter as you would typically need to do in other Dashboard Reports. You'll get granular analysis for the following:
- CTV-to-Mobile (cross-device)
- CTV-to-CTV (same device)
Analytics
OTT/CTV Analytics have the same reporting capabilities as Branch's Universal Ads product. For a detailed overview of ad analytics and how to customize them, view our guide here.
Integration Guide
SDK vs S2S Integration
You can implement Branch's support for OTT/CTV platforms either through an SDK or a Server-to-Server (S2S) integration. Both of which will have their own pros and cons. To help determine which integration type is right for you, we've broken it down here:
| Capability | Details | Integration Preference |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Specificities & Flexibility | Certain OTT/CTV platforms only support specific ways of implementation. | S2S is preferred because some platforms do not have a Branch SDK to integrate. S2S integration will work for all platforms. |
| Ease of Implementation | Utilize an implementation for session management, installs, and capturing device identifiers | SDK is preferred because Branch will handle the session automatically, while S2S will require additional work to capture the necessary parameters in order to make the requests. |
| Long-Term Upkeep | With updates to platforms, keeping up with changes is necessary to comply with privacy or add new features. | SDK is preferred because when there is a change to the platform, you would only need to update the SDK while you may have to change core logic in an S2S integration. |
There are several ways to implement support for OTT/CTV platforms with Branch. Please see the below guides to get started:
Integration Type | Supported Platforms |
|---|---|
SDK |
|
|
Updated about 2 months ago