Almost half of viewers turn on their smart TVs unsure what to watch, says Tony Marlow of LG Ad Solutions. Many factors make the CTV home screen a powerful ad opportunity.
“Viewers... bounce in and out of it all day long,” explains Marlow
In a recent study of senior ad buyers with a $1m-plus CTV spend, 70% said CTV data sparked effective ideas, and 84% linked creativity to business outcomes on one of advertising’s most lucrative channels. This winning blend of science and art is most evident on the CTV home screen, 2026’s hero spot – and a unique gateway that sparks action before a show has even started.
In many ways, the CTV home screen is becoming 2026’s digital equivalent of the ‘gold spot’ in cinema advertising. Ads here guarantee high visibility to a multi-household audience, with built-in capacity for rich, immersive storytelling.
The home screen is also a shop window for other major ‘26 trends, including localised targeting and the comeback of the mass-audience moment. All of which will drive unprecedented demand from cross-sector brands and agencies, as we head into CTV’s most advanced era yet.
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Nearly half (48%) of viewers turn on their smart TVs with no clear idea of what they want to watch. This makes the CTV home screen a powerful source for audience discovery and receptivity. And its influence is set to amplify in 2026, for these key reasons.
In the past, home screen buying has been limited to media and entertainment clients for many large TV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). But now we’re seeing the onset of both programmatic and general market access, with retailers, automakers, grocery brands, and more rushing to take advantage of this rare, high-conversion space.
Ad innovation is having an impact, too. With advertisers now able to experiment with the likes of 3D units and shoppable ads, the home screen is emerging as a launch pad for multiple experiences. On-demand streaming, cloud fitness, gaming, shopping. There’s endless scope for interactivity and scale in one single space.
Moreover, this is an area already primed for unparalleled frequency and reach. Viewers don’t just turn their home screen on once; they bounce in and out of it all day long. And every type of smart TV user has to pass through it, whether they use subscription-only, FAST, or AVOD options.
Advanced targeting capabilities are also fueling the rapid growth of the CTV home screen, placing newfound emphasis on local advertising. This is an age in which a gym group can use geo-targeted CTV to deliver tailored ads that reference a viewer’s local club location. Or a car brand such as Hyundai can personalize its CTV ads based on factors including household income, family size, and proximity to dealerships.
As targeting precision and frequency management become more mature, brands can even adapt their campaigns according to nuances such as local sports games or the weather. For example, if CTV ads are surfaced in a destination where it’s currently raining, a clothing brand may choose to run a different set of ads (waterproof clothing or outerwear) versus if it’s wall-to-wall sunshine.
Meanwhile, major ad-spend events such as the 2026 midterms will yield their own cycles of investment in local CTV ads. This shift in focus is backed by intelligence from leading measurement providers, who can illustrate the link between localization and outcomes – such as brand lift or in-store visits – more clearly than ever.
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Gone are the days when a show like M-A-S-H broke records with the most-watched finale in TV history. But CTV’s ability to provide interactive, localized ads will see the mass-audience moment return in new ways in 2026.
Rather than everyone gathering around their TVs at the same time, the CTV home screen can be used to harness excitement on a different level. Take the moment that rank outsiders Leicester City won the Premier League, defying 5,000-1 odds. Or when Yalitza Aparicio, a school teacher from Tlaxiaco, Mexico, was nominated for an Oscar – with zero acting experience. Locally targeted home screen ads on CTV could be used to leverage emotion and pride in these cultural events among home audiences, and with backing from local brands.
Using this approach, smaller brands can participate in big cultural events in a way they never could have before. And localized tiering means they may also choose to buy hourly windows outside the highest-cost inventory (eg game time during the Super Bowl), while still capitalizing on the joy and anticipation of the day itself.
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So, localized creatives are a boon for advertisers looking to align with the big-scale emotion of live events. And brands of all sizes can do so more profoundly thanks to the lean-forward nature of CTV.
This is an environment so immersive that passive viewing can seamlessly translate into real-world action at a moment’s notice. Where audiences can scan a QR code to order half-time snacks from their nearest delivery platform using a ‘virtual concession stand.’ Where thirsty punters can visit a digital ‘streaming bar’ to surface a choice of 500-plus customized video interactions (depending on what show or scene is being watched), along with built-in links to local takeaways.
We talk a lot about the science of CTV these days: the data and precision that goes into reaching the right consumers. But these examples show that art is just as important. Art is the storytelling canvas that captures attention: the dynamic countdowns, the shoppable units, the 3D wow factor. And the very best campaigns of 2026 will leverage this crossover. By doing so, they can tap into the home screen ‘X factor’ – that unique openness to discovery and entertainment – to drive tangible, scalable results.
LG Ad Solutions
Global leader in connected TV advertising, helping brands find hard-to-get unduplicated reach at optimal frequency across the fragmented streaming TV landscape.
