Are OTT Ads Served on TV Superior to CTV Ads on Mobile Devices?

As streaming continues to dominate the media landscape, advertisers face a critical question: where should their OTT ad dollars go, connected TV (CTV) or mobile devices? The answer isn’t always straightforward, but the data makes one thing clear: ads on CTV environments consistently outperform mobile placements in attention, completion, and engagement.

Viewer Attention & Engagement

When it comes to holding viewers’ eyes, CTV ads are unmatched. Research from MarTech shows that CTV ads capture attention for an average of 9.7 seconds of “active attention,” compared to just 1.2–2.4 seconds on mobile ads.

Interactive CTV ads also deliver significantly better results. According to AIDigital, interactive formats generate engagement rates up to 10 times higher than desktop and 5 times higher than mobile. And global data from Statista confirms that CTV advertising outperforms other devices across viewer engagement rates.

Ad Completion Rates

Completion rates may be the single most important metric for video ads, and here too, CTV dominates. Research compiled by Prescient AI shows OTT ads delivered on connected TVs achieve 93–98 percent completion rates, while mobile video ads struggle to clear 62 percent.

Shorter placements perform even stronger: 15-second CTV ads average a 94.5 percent completion rate (New Road Advertising). With mobile and TV apps together representing 65 percent of all OTT streaming consumption, Uscreen notes that TV environments are where advertisers can expect unskippable, full-attention ad experiences.

Campaign Outcomes: Brand vs. Performance

So what does this mean for campaign goals?

• Brand Building: TV environments foster focused, uninterrupted viewing, making them ideal for premium brand placements. As Propellant Media explains, the larger screen experience creates memorable impressions that resonate longer with audiences.
• Performance Marketing: Mobile ads, while less effective for long-form engagement, excel in direct response scenarios. According to Strategus, mobile users can click, convert, and purchase instantly and often show higher immediate purchase intent compared to TV viewers.
• Context of Consumption: TV ads are typically viewed in a lean-back environment, where audiences are more relaxed and attentive. Mobile ads, on the other hand, compete with constant distractions and multitasking. As Vodlix notes, this difference in context makes CTV more effective for immersive storytelling, while mobile is better suited for quick, action-driven messages.

The Bottom Line

For maximizing viewer attention, ad recall, and campaign quality, OTT ads on TV screens are empirically superior. For conversion-driven campaigns, mobile still plays an important role. That is why many leading advertisers are adopting a hybrid approach, pairing CTV’s brand power with mobile’s action-oriented capabilities.

• Interactive CTV campaigns on TV achieve engagement rates up to 4.6 times higher than the same ad format viewed on mobile.
• TV-based CTV ads hold viewer attention about 8 times longer than mobile CTV ads, which translates to higher recall and impact for brand messaging.
• Video completion rates for CTV ads on TV hover around 96–98%, exceptionally higher than CTV ads viewed on mobile apps or browsers, which average 56–79%.
• CTV ads on TV screens account for more than 70% of all video ad views, compared to roughly 11% for mobile devices, highlighting audience preference for the big-screen experience.
• Nearly half of adults (46%) cite television advertising, now often delivered as CTV, as the most trustworthy, well ahead of mobile and social formats.
• CTV ads on TV screens are associated with premium content, higher memorability, and brand safety, whereas mobile environments are seen as more fragmented and less brand-safe.

Ready to Amplify Your OTT Advertising?

Mediagistic specializes in building multi-channel campaigns that maximize impact across CTV, mobile, and beyond. Whether your goal is brand awareness or conversions, we will craft a strategy that aligns with your objectives and gets measurable results. Contact us today to start your next OTT campaign.