What OTT Advertisers Want in 2025: A Guide for Video Platform Owners

In 2025, OTT advertising has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of media strategy for brands. Advertisers see OTT (over-the-top) platforms as a way to combine television’s broad reach with the precision and data-driven power of digital marketing. However, as OTT advertising budgets grow, agencies and brands are increasingly selective—they expect OTT platforms to meet high standards. Platform owners must ensure their services provide what advertisers want most: quality ad inventory, robust metrics, advanced targeting, and a transparent, brand-safe environment.

Premium, Brand-Safe Ad Inventory

Advertisers won’t invest in an OTT platform unless they trust the environment where their ads will run. This means offering premium, “clean” ad inventory that is free of fraud and delivered alongside high-quality content. Buyers expect brand safety controls so their ads never appear next to inappropriate or low-quality material. Advertisers expect OTT platforms to provide access to trusted networks and top-tier content environments, often via curated whitelists or private marketplaces.

Advanced Targeting and Personalization

One of the biggest advantages OTT advertising offers is precision targeting. Advertisers expect platform partners to leverage rich viewer data to reach specific audiences. Effective OTT platforms allow brands to segment viewers by demographics, interests, location, and viewing behavior, enabling highly relevant ad placements.

As third-party cookies disappear, platforms that use privacy-compliant, first-party data to power targeting will stand out. This level of personalization means ads resonate more with viewers, improving campaign efficiency. Buyers in 2025 will favor OTT channels that can deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. By offering sophisticated targeting tools and personalization features, platform owners can help advertisers minimize wasted impressions and maximize engagement.

Smarter Monetization Without Disruption

Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) has become a cornerstone of OTT advertising, and for good reason. As advertisers demand smoother delivery, better targeting, and ad-block resistance, SSAI offers a future-proof solution for platforms seeking to scale their AVOD strategies.

Unlike client-side approaches, where ads are loaded separately and often trigger buffering or playback glitches, SSAI stitches ads directly into the video stream on the server, making them indistinguishable from the rest of the content—a key advantage as more viewers adopt ad-blocking tools.

The result is seamless playback—no loading screens, no skipped segments, and no chance for the ad to be blocked by browser extensions. In a cookieless landscape, SSAI still enables relevant ad delivery. Platforms can feed session-level data (e.g., IP address, device type, content being viewed) to the ad server, which returns an ad tailored to the stream context.

Creative Flexibility in a Freemium World

In 2025, advertisers are looking beyond traditional pre-rolls. While OTT platforms are exploring newer formats like pause ads and interactive overlays, many are starting with flexible AVOD models, offering ad-supported access to content through guest mode, freemium subscriptions, or paid content unlocks. These options expand inventory without compromising the viewer experience, and give advertisers more ways to engage.

Transparency and Control

Finally, advertisers want transparency and control in how their OTT campaigns are executed. A 2024 industry survey found that knowing exactly where ads run is a top concern for OTT advertisers. Platform owners should be prepared to share placement details and respect advertiser preferences (for example, avoiding categories that conflict with a brand’s image).

Controls like frequency capping are also important. Brands don’t want to overwhelm viewers by showing the same ad too many times. Offering a transparent, well-controlled advertising experience can set an OTT service apart. The goal is to build trust: when advertisers can see that a platform safeguards their brand and optimizes delivery, they’re more likely to commit budget long-term.

Conclusion

In 2025, advertisers are not buying impressions. They’re investing in trust, precision, and measurable outcomes. OTT platforms that prioritize ad quality, audience insight, and transparent delivery will be the ones winning those budgets