This Year-Opener under BRIEF26 has been authored by Russhabh R Thakkar, Founder and CEO, Frodoh, exclusively for Mediabrief.com. Insights and inspiration for tomorrow.
2025 was the year when Connected TV stopped being discussed as the future and firmly became the present. For me, both professionally and personally, it was a year of clarity. The noise around formats, platforms, and metrics finally began to settle, and what emerged was a sharper understanding of where real attention lives and how storytelling needs to evolve to earn it.
One of my strongest takeaways from 2025 was seeing how CTV moved from experimental line items to central pillars in brand media strategies. Advertisers became more confident, not just in the scale CTV offers, but in its ability to deliver quality engagement in a fragmented viewing environment. The idea that television is either “traditional” or “digital” started to feel outdated. Viewers don’t think in those terms, and increasingly, neither should brands.
At Frodoh, 2025 reinforced the belief that CTV works best when it is treated not as an extension of digital video, but as a premium screen with its own grammar. Some of the most effective campaigns we saw were those where brands respected the living-room context and invested in storytelling that felt native, immersive, and intentional.
Advice that once dominated the ecosystem—optimise for clicks, chase short-term performance at the cost of brand—began to lose relevance in a CTV-led world where attention, recall, and trust matter far more.
On a personal level, the year reminded me that leadership in a fast-evolving media landscape requires restraint as much as ambition. Not every new format needs immediate adoption, and not every metric deserves equal weight. Learning when to say no became as important as identifying where to lean in.
As we navigate 2026, CTV will sit at the heart of how brands think about video, reach, and impact. The focus will shift from proving CTV’s value to refining how it is used. At Frodoh, we are doubling down on CTV-first strategies that combine scale with contextual relevance, using data not just to target audiences but to enhance creative decisions. We will continue to invest in partnerships, technology, and formats that elevate the viewing experience rather than interrupt it.
2026 will demand more discipline. There will be a conscious move away from spray-and-pray distribution and towards smarter, more curated deployments. Measurement will mature, but the real winners will be those who understand that CTV’s strength lies in its ability to build brands over time, not chase immediate validation. The next phase of growth will come from aligning creative ambition with media precision.
From an industry perspective, the lines between content, advertising, and experience will continue to blur. CTV will increasingly become a space where brands behave more like publishers and storytellers. This requires a mindset shift. It is no longer enough to simply show up on the big screen. How you show up, what you say, and whether you respect the viewer’s time will define success.
My guidance to teams and to younger professionals is to think holistically. Understand technology, but do not be consumed by it. Learn the mechanics of CTV, but never forget the fundamentals of storytelling. The most valuable skill going forward will be the ability to connect data with human insight and turn both into meaningful narratives.
I would also encourage young professionals to be patient with their growth. CTV is still evolving, and those who take the time to understand its nuances will be far better positioned than those chasing quick wins. Curiosity, integrity, and a willingness to learn across disciplines will matter more than chasing the next buzzword.
As an individual, I enter 2026 with a strong sense of optimism for the CTV ecosystem. We are at a point where technology, content, and consumer behaviour are finally aligned. The opportunity now is to build responsibly, creatively, and with long-term vision. If 2025 was about CTV earning its place at the table, 2026 will be about how thoughtfully we use that seat.
