What is CTV ad fraud?
CTV ad fraud is fake or misrepresented advertising on connected TVs and streaming devices, such as spoofed apps, servers imitating TVs, ads played when the screen is off and bots on infected streaming boxes. It attracts fraudsters because CTV impressions sell at high CPMs and the ecosystem has weaker measurement than web browsers, so fakes are harder to catch.
Common forms of CTV fraud include SSAI spoofing, app spoofing (a cheap app claiming to be a premium streaming channel), device spoofing (desktop or mobile traffic pretending to be a TV) and ads served to TVs that are switched off while a set-top box keeps streaming. Cheap, malware-laden Android streaming boxes have also been used as residential botnets.
DoubleVerify reported in 2026 that it detected 140% more CTV fraud schemes and variants in Q1 2026 than a year earlier, and found bot activity even in some direct CTV deals, a reminder that "premium" is not proof of quality. Protections include buying from publishers listed in app-ads.txt, requiring Open Measurement SDK or equivalent signals, supply path optimization toward direct paths, and independent CTV-specific IVT measurement.