As CTV advertising remains one of the strongest drivers of the global digital video ad economy, the sector is also undergoing accelerated growth in Europe. Here are the main trends to watch in the CTV ad space across the EEA in 2026. 

If there’s a niche in the digital video ad industry which has experienced the fastest global expansion in recent years, it’s definitely CTV advertising. Predictably, while the U.S. market has been historically demonstrating the faster growth dynamics, the EEA market has somewhat been lagging behind, largely due to lower ad spend volumes and the relatively slower adoption of advertising standards in the niche.

However, over the past months it looks like this trend has started shifting. In particular, the European CTV ad market is currently demonstrating stronger momentum, with more players entering the race for audience attention and engagement, leading to larger advertising budgets being allocated to this digital video ad industry sector. 

European CTV Ad Market Continues to Grow

As the European Audiovisual Observatory’s Key Trends 2026 report shows, the European audiovisual market has already surpassed 142,000,000,000 EUR in value, further accelerating the evolution of the CTV advertising sector, accordingly. 

Namely, according to the latest FreeWheel Video Marketplace Report (VMR), CTV has remained the primary source of ad views in Europe since 2024, accounting for approximately 50% of total views. The report also notes that, in the past years, this ad niche has maintained the significant growth potential in the region, with a 30%+ YoY increase, largely driven by the automated ad workflows and the increasingly streamlined connection between the supply- and demand-side companies operating in this niche. 

However, as the analysts admit, only one-third of businesses running CTV ads fully understand where their advertising creatives are actually being displayed, and ~27% of them acknowledge the lack of comprehensive measurement standards in this market segment. 

Aiming to address these major challenges, in April 2026 IAB Europe released its proposed CTV Measurement Framework and Transparency Principles, where it outlines key media KPIs (e.g. video ad impressions, IVT/SIVT filtration, reach, VTR and VCR, etc.) and performance/outcome metrics (e.g. ROAS, incrementality, brand uplift, etc,) for CTV ad campaigns. The document also defines the core principles, designed to achieve greater transparency within the measurement ecosystem and strengthen trust across the ad supply chain. 

These principles, namely, imply the importance of the use of industry-wide standardized metric definitions, full disclosure of measurement limitations (e.g. disclosure of whether the co-viewing filter was applied while measuring advertising reach), and the provision of granular reporting data, which needs to include device type, content and genre parameters, along with other essential contextual signals. 

With IAB Europe’s proposed measurement framework open for public comment until the beginning of June 2026, we may expect its gradual adoption by industry players in Europe to begin closer to Q4 2026, just ahead of the busy winter holiday season. This, in turn, should drive greater advertisers’ confidence in the CTV ad niche, supporting the continued market expansion in the months ahead. 

Interactive CTV Format Adoption Accelerates 

Following the release of updated programmatic CTV guidelines by IAB Tech Lab last year, media companies across the EU have also begun adopting new interactive formats across their digital properties, enabling brands to achieve greater viewer engagement with their CTV ads.

In this respect, one notable example is the recent FranceTV’s launch of 6 new CTV ad formats, designed to enrich viewers’ experience with the ads, while also boosting overall video ad campaign effectiveness. These include shoppable CTV ads, a portfolio of the so-called “Impact” formats, aimed at maximizing ad memorability in the non-intrusive context, as well as several native formats (e.g. skin content, sponsored collections), aimed at ensuring more seamless brand integration into the content environment. 

Predictably, in H2 2026 more European media businesses are likely to expand their CTV format portfolios in an effort to sustain their video ad revenue outcomes, while ensuring their audiences’ more comfortable viewing experiences. Combined with the gradual implementation of more advanced measurement principles across the sector, this trend will definitely drive the further CTV market expansion in Europe in 2026 and beyond. 

Broadcasters Push for CTV Oversight 

Despite the accelerated CTV ad growth in Europe in recent months, the sector still faces serious challenges that may hinder further market expansion. One of the key issues relates to gatekeeper regulation in the sphere. 

In particular, in March 2026, major TV trade groups, including European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe just to name a few, signed a joint letter addressed to the European Commission urging it to use provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to designate CTV OS vendors as “gatekeepers”, since they aren’t currently covered by the regulation. With such measures, the coalition of broadcasters and other media companies expects to achieve stronger industry oversight, greater fairness and higher contestability on the market, particularly in case with access to audiences and content environments within the CTV ecosystem, as well as control over them. 

If addressed promptly, these regulatory concerns could provide an extra boost to the CTV ad industry in Europe by encouraging stronger compliance from global OS vendors. However, based on the previous timelines, amendments to DMA or other digital acts aren’t likely to be adopted before 2027.