Disney Launches Certification Program for Live CTV Ad-Buying

Is it CES or CTVES. Feels like the latter.

Last week, we covered an algorithm update by Yahoo DSP, which reportedly improved pacing and management of CTV ad inventory during live sports and entertainment. During a football game, for example, unexpected viewership spikes can create sudden increases in available ad slots. This industry-wide issue has led to lots of repetitive ads, budgets being spent too early, and unsold inventory for publishers.

In a Yahoo blog post about the update, Disney’s VP of Programmatic Sales, Matt Barnes, praised the change, citing it as enabling more “effective real-time bidding against the unpredictability of live content while ensuring scalable reach and intentional connections with consumers.” He added that it led to higher fill rates, benefitting advertisers (pacing), and viewers (frequency).

Now, that work has expanded into an industry initiative. Yesterday, timed to CES, Disney announced a certification program to recognize Yahoo and other adtech partners for real-time live entertainment ad-buying. To be certified by Disney, a partner’s tech has to have the ability to scale and respond to bids in real time, adapt to spikes in live viewership with increased bid density, and pre-ingest pre-approved creative. Disney named Yahoo DSP, DV360 and The Trade Desk as the first DSPs to earn certification, with Magnite the only SSP at launch.

Why This Matters:

This feels very sports-focused, obviously—and for good reason. U.S. sports viewers are increasingly shifting from traditional pay TV to streaming. According to EMARKETER, 105 million people watched live sports through digital platforms in 2024, compared to about 86 million viewers on traditional TV. This trend began in 2023, when digital viewership surpassed traditional TV for the first time. EMARKETER projects the shift will accelerate in 2025, forecasting 114 million digital viewers while traditional TV viewership drops to 82 million.

As advertisers follow viewers to streaming and ramp up spending on live sports, Disney is positioning automation as the key to supporting buyers. “Automation provides the key to unlock the full potential of streaming inventory in near real time by tapping in to the dynamic nature of live streaming, which was previously limited,” the company says. “With Disney’s live certification, advertisers have much greater flexibility to tap into lightning-in-a-bottle moments, when activating campaigns in live through industry-leading buy-side platforms.”

Experts React:

In the announcement press release, Jamie Power, SVP of Addressable Sales at Disney Advertising said, “We are committed to evolving with the rise of live viewership. Expanding biddable capabilities will allow advertisers to connect more effectively in real-time, just one of the ways we are setting a new standard for advertising.” 

Our Take:

Standards and certifications are good! Especially for CTV, where spend is surging. Disney’s new certification program marks a positive development, creating standards that benefit both advertisers and publishers by making live streaming ad delivery more efficient and scalable.

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