Gracenote Rolls Out Content Connect to Fix CTV Ad Targeting

Nielsen's Gracenote has launched Content Connect, a new platform designed to clean up the chaotic Connected TV ad market. It provides standardized, program-level metadata, allowing advertisers to move beyond buying ads at the app level and instead target specific shows with precision.

• Buying blind: For years, buying ads on streaming services has been a messy process, lacking granular control. To fix this, Content Connect unlocks Gracenote's vast library of metadata, allowing advertisers to target campaigns based on attributes like a show's genre or mood and prevent ads for family cars from running during a gritty horror series.

• A universal translator: At its core, the platform uses Gracenote's proprietary content ID graph and unique identifiers (TMS IDs) to create a single, standardized record for every show. This move toward a unified framework comes as the industry desperately seeks privacy-compliant alternatives to user-based tracking and a common language for a show that may appear across multiple ad-supported services.

As the CTV ad market booms—with its share of media budgets set to double between 2023 and 2025—the demand for better transparency and effectiveness intensifies. Gracenote is positioning Content Connect as a foundational layer to bring order and control to the growing chaos.

Gracenote isn't the only one trying to solve CTV's growing pains. DoubleVerify is calling for more industry-wide transparency and accountability, while a new partnership between PubMatic and BrightLine is focused on making CTV a measurable performance channel through interactive ads.