Adtech Glossary
The streaming TV and digital advertising terms you keep running into — defined in plain English for business owners, with links to how each one works on Omnya.
ACR (Automatic Content Recognition)
ACR (automatic content recognition) is technology built into smart TVs that identifies what is playing on the screen by sampling audio or video and matching it against a reference database. Advertisers use ACR data to measure ad exposure, verify delivery, and target audiences based on actual viewing behavior.
Read the full definition →Ad Exchange
An ad exchange is a digital marketplace where ad impressions are bought and sold through real-time auctions, connecting supply-side platforms (publishers) with demand-side platforms (advertisers). Each time content loads, the exchange auctions the available ad slot to the highest qualified bidder in milliseconds.
Read the full definition →Addressable Advertising
Addressable advertising is delivering different ads to different households watching the same content, based on each household’s characteristics — location, demographics, or interests. Instead of one ad for everyone in a broadcast area, each qualified household gets the message most relevant to it.
Read the full definition →Attribution
Attribution is the process of identifying which ads and channels caused a desired outcome — a website visit, lead, or sale — so budget can be credited and shifted to what works. In streaming TV, attribution typically matches ad exposure at the household level to later actions on your website or app.
Read the full definition →Brand Safety
Brand safety is the practice of ensuring ads appear only alongside content that fits the advertiser’s standards — professionally produced, non-offensive, and contextually appropriate. It covers publisher quality, content category blocking, and fraud prevention, protecting how the brand is perceived by association.
Read the full definition →CPM (Cost Per Mille)
CPM (cost per mille) is the price an advertiser pays for one thousand ad impressions. A $10 CPM means every 1,000 times the ad is shown costs $10. CPM is the standard pricing unit for streaming TV, display, and audio advertising, making costs comparable across channels and publishers.
Read the full definition →CTV (Connected TV)
CTV (Connected TV) is any television connected to the internet that streams video content through apps — including smart TVs, and TVs using devices like Roku, Apple TV, or gaming consoles. In advertising, CTV means delivering targeted, measurable video ads inside that streaming content rather than through traditional cable or broadcast.
Read the full definition →DMA (Designated Market Area)
A DMA (designated market area) is a geographic region defined by Nielsen where the population receives the same local television and radio offerings — for example, the "Dallas–Ft. Worth" market. Advertisers use DMAs to plan and buy media by metro area; the United States is divided into 210 DMAs.
Read the full definition →DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home)
DOOH (digital out-of-home) is digitally served advertising on screens in public spaces — digital billboards, transit displays, and screens in venues like gyms, elevators, and gas stations. Unlike static billboards, DOOH is bought programmatically, can change by time and conditions, and reports delivery data.
Read the full definition →DSP (Demand-Side Platform)
A DSP (demand-side platform) is software that lets advertisers buy digital ad inventory automatically across many publishers and exchanges from one interface. Advertisers set audience, budget, and goals; the DSP bids on individual ad impressions in real time and optimizes delivery toward the best-performing placements.
Read the full definition →First-Party Data
First-party data is information a business collects directly from its own customers and audiences — website visits, purchase history, email lists, and app activity — with their consent. It is the most accurate and privacy-durable targeting fuel, because it comes from a direct relationship rather than third-party tracking.
Read the full definition →Frequency Capping
Frequency capping is a control that limits how many times the same person or household sees an ad within a set period — for example, three times per day. It prevents ad fatigue, protects brand perception, and stretches budget by spreading impressions across more unique viewers instead of repeating them.
Read the full definition →Geo-Fencing
Geo-fencing is location-based ad targeting that draws a virtual boundary around a real-world area — a ZIP code, a radius around a store, or a competitor’s location — and serves ads to devices inside it. It lets local businesses pay only to reach people near enough to become customers.
Read the full definition →Linear TV
Linear TV is traditional scheduled television delivered through broadcast, cable, or satellite, where everyone in a coverage area watches the same programming and the same ads at the same time. It contrasts with streaming, where content is on-demand and ads can be targeted per household.
Read the full definition →Omnichannel Advertising
Omnichannel advertising is running coordinated campaigns across multiple channels — streaming TV, audio, display, YouTube, social, and search — with one audience definition, one budget, and unified reporting. Unlike multichannel (separate campaigns per platform), omnichannel treats every channel as part of a single customer journey.
Read the full definition →OTT (Over-the-Top)
OTT (over-the-top) is video content delivered directly over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite providers — services like Hulu, Tubi, and Pluto TV. OTT advertising places video ads inside that streamed content on any device: TVs, phones, tablets, or computers, while CTV refers specifically to the television screen.
Read the full definition →Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of digital ad space using software and real-time auctions instead of manual negotiations. Algorithms evaluate every available impression against the advertiser’s targeting and bid only for the right viewers — making ad buying faster, more precise, and measurable across channels.
Read the full definition →Retargeting
Retargeting is showing ads to people who have already interacted with your business — visited your website, used your app, or seen a previous ad — to bring them back and convert interest into action. It works because it focuses spend on audiences who have demonstrated intent.
Read the full definition →SSP (Supply-Side Platform)
An SSP (supply-side platform) is software publishers use to sell their ad inventory automatically at the best possible price. It exposes the publisher’s available impressions to multiple ad exchanges and DSPs simultaneously, runs the auction, and returns the winning ad — the seller-side counterpart to a DSP.
Read the full definition →VCR (Video Completion Rate)
Video completion rate (VCR) is the percentage of video ad impressions watched all the way to the end. A 95% VCR means 95 of every 100 started ads finished. It is a core quality metric for streaming TV, where full-screen, largely unskippable ads routinely complete at rates display video cannot match.
Read the full definition →