From AVOD to Fast, the biggest screen in the house now comes with the biggest pile of acronyms. If you don’t know your BVOD from your OTT, here’s your essential glossary to switch off the jargon and switch on to smarter TV buying in 2025.
Know your BVOD from your OTT
Once upon a time, the hardest choice we had to make when switching on the telly was a choice between catching a Friends rerun or tuning in to the 10 o’clock news. Those days are long gone. Today’s viewers are split between The Traitors finales, Love Is Blind binges or Premier League highlights – not across just three terrestrial channels but a fragmented jungle of platforms that extend outside the living room.
Streaming killed the TV guide and the way you buy ads has changed. For marketers, that means more opportunity, but also a little more confusion. This glossary is your one-stop guide to the new era of TV – with plain-English definitions and practical cues on when to use each.
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Addressable TV
Technology that delivers different ads to different households watching the same program. Moves beyond blunt demographics into household-level targeting.
When to use it: If you want the reach of TV but with digital-style targeting – eg showing a car ad only to households in-market for a new vehicle.
Advanced TV
Catch-all term for anything beyond traditional linear – including CTV, addressable, programmatic and VOD.
When to use it: Use this term when you’re talking broadly about all the new ways to buy TV.
Attention metrics
Newer measures of whether people are actively watching (eyes on screen, sound on, co-viewing) rather than just ‘opportunity to see.’
When to use it: Use when making the case for premium environments and higher CPMs.
Automatic content recognition (ACR)
Technology in smart TVs that identifies what’s being watched, creating de-identified first-party data on viewing behavior.
When to use it: Use when you need accurate measurement across linear and streaming, or want to retarget viewers across devices.
AVOD (ad-supported video on-demand)
Streaming services where content is free to watch, but funded by ads (eg Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee or YouTube).
When to use it: Great for cost-efficient, broad reach at lower CPMs, especially for brands that want to capture cost-conscious streamers.
BVOD (broadcaster video on-demand)
On-demand catch-up from broadcasters (eg, ITVX, Peacock, Channel 4).
When to use it: Use when you want trusted, brand-safe environments tied to premium broadcast shows.
Co-viewing
Multiple people watching together on the same screen.
When to use it: Leverage for brand storytelling moments where shared attention amplifies impact (eg big sporting events, finales).
CPM (cost per mille)
The cost of 1,000 ad impressions.
When to use it: The universal pricing model across CTV, digital video and often compared to linear TV costs.
CTV (connected TV)
Any TV set connected to the internet, either via a Smart TV or devices like Roku, Fire TV Stick, or Apple TV.
When to use it: The foundation and gateway to almost all modern TV advertising buys; use when targeting streaming-first households.
Cross-screen measurement
Tracking and comparing performance across linear, CTV, desktop and mobile.
When to use it: Essential when you need to prove incremental reach or de-duplicate audiences across platforms.
Dayparting
Segmenting ad buys by time of day (morning, prime time, late night).
When to use it: Valuable for aligning ads with viewer habits, eg family viewing in early evening versus solo bingeing late night.
Dynamic ad insertion (DAI)
Tech that swaps ads in/out of streamed content in real time.
When to use it: Perfect for tailoring ads by audience, location or time of day.
Effective frequency
The sweet spot for how many times an ad needs to be seen before it drives action.
When to use it: A classic planning tool still relevant in CTV, where overexposure is a risk.
Fast (free ad-supported streaming TV)
Linear-style streaming channels supported by ads (eg Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus).
When to use it: Good for mass awareness and incremental reach without subscription barriers.
Frequency
How often a viewer is exposed to the same ad within a given campaign.
When to use it: Essential when balancing effective exposure with avoiding ad fatigue, especially on platforms with binge-watching behavior.
Gross rating point (GRP)
The traditional TV metric measuring reach × frequency across a campaign.
When to use it: Still useful when comparing linear TV performance or translating old-school metrics to new streaming environments.
Household ID/device graphs
Identifiers that link different devices within a home to enable cross-screen targeting.
When to use it: When you want to unify ad delivery across the TV, laptop and mobile in one household.
Hybrid VOD
Subscription services that add ad-supported tiers (eg Netflix, Disney+).
When to use it: Use when you want access to premium shows at lower CPMs, with lighter ad loads.
Impressions
The total number of times an ad is served, regardless of unique viewers.
When to use it: A common trading metric across both TV and digital that lets you compare apples-to-apples.
Incremental reach
The additional audience you gain on streaming/CTV that you can’t reach on linear TV alone.
When to use it: A key KPI for justifying streaming budgets in multichannel campaigns.
Linear TV
Traditional scheduled broadcast or cable TV.
When to use it: Still the go-to for scale and cultural moments (Super Bowl, Love Island).
Measurement currency
The agreed standard for buying and measuring TV (eg Comscore, Nielsen One, Barb in the UK).
When to use it: Critical when negotiating guarantees or comparing linear and streaming performance.
Mid-roll/pre-roll/post-roll
Types of ad placement within video content (before, during, or after).
When to use it: Important for understanding viewer drop-off and engagement levels.
Online video (OLV)
Any digital video consumed online, not limited to TVs – includes mobile, desktop and social platforms.
When to use it: Good umbrella term for campaigns spanning YouTube pre-rolls, TikTok ads and streaming spots together.
Over the top (OTT)
Internet-delivered video that bypasses traditional cable/satellite. Includes both subscription (SVOD) and ad-supported (AVOD) services.
When to use it: Useful when talking about the delivery mechanism (internet-first), not just the device (CTV).
Premium video
Industry shorthand for high-quality, brand-safe content environments (eg broadcaster VOD, tentpole events).
When to use it: When you want to distinguish from user-generated or long-tail video content.
Programmatic TV
Automated buying and selling of TV inventory using data signals, now a core method for CTV.
When to use it: Choose this for efficiency, speed and audience targeting across multiple publishers.
Reach
The total number of unique viewers exposed to an ad or campaign.
When to use it: Use when proving scale or comparing the incremental lift of CTV versus linear buys.
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Second-screening
Viewers using phones or tablets while watching TV.
When to use it: Pair with social or search campaigns to capture attention in the moment.
Shoppable TV
Interactive formats where viewers can buy directly via QR codes or remote clicks.
When to use it: Smart for retail/e-commerce brands looking to shorten the path to purchase.
Skippable versus non-skippable ads
Whether viewers can bypass an ad after a few seconds or must watch in full.
When to use it: Crucial for creative and pricing decisions on YouTube, CTV and OLV buys.
Smart TV
A TV set with built-in internet connectivity and streaming apps.
When to use it: Critical to understand as Smart TVs are now the dominant gateway to CTV and ACR data.
SVOD (subscription video on-demand)
Ad-free subscription-funded platforms (eg Netflix, Disney+).
When to use it: Limited direct ad inventory – but useful via product placement or new ad tiers.
Target rating point (TRP)
Traditional TV audience metric based on % of a target audience reached.
When to use it: Helpful for comparing old-school linear buys with digital/CTV metrics.
TV everywhere
Live/linear access for pay-TV subscribers across devices.
When to use it: Best for reaching traditional subscribers who still want digital flexibility.
TVOD (transactional video on-demand)
Pay-per-view or rentals (eg Apple iTunes, Amazon rentals).
When to use it: Rare for ads, but relevant if you’re exploring sponsorships or content tie-ins.
Upfronts/NewFronts
Annual pitches from broadcasters (Upfronts) and digital platforms (NewFronts).
When to use it: A must-follow if you’re planning major TV budgets for the year ahead.
Viewability
Whether an ad had the chance to be seen on-screen (versus skipped or hidden).
When to use it: Especially relevant for short-form video or second-screen formats, but creeping into TV as well.
vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor)
Internet-based bundles of live TV channels (eg YouTube TV, Sling).
When to use it: Useful to reach cord-cutters who want linear without cable.
xVOD
Shorthand for all the on-demand models (AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, BVOD, etc).
When to use it: Handy catch-all term in planning conversations.
Explore our New TV for Drummies Buyer’s Guide for cheat sheets and expert takes on how to plan smarter across the new TV landscape.
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