Although there is a continued lack of simple, industry-wide standards for cross-media and/or connected TV metrics — as well as some eye-opening fraud issues — CTV advertising dollars are estimated to rise to $11 billion.

What’s the most important issue? Perhaps a clue is where the actual dollars are flowing.

Many CTV dollars have benefited traditional TV players and their associated platforms — in large part due to advertisers belief that fraud issues will be minimal and/or adjusted should things go wrong.

Nearly four of five advertising executives say fraud is a major concern, according to recent poll by Advertiser Perceptions, repeating many results of other studies.

Results come from 284 advertising executives — 42% from marketers, 58% media agencies — in November and December 2020. An additional 300 advertisers were interviewed in January 2021 about the upfront.

Another key part of the study — which bolsters the fraud argument — comes from questions in ranking the “most valuable” media platform.

Easily the best results goes to linear TV. It gets a 32% nod from executives. After this comes social media, 16%; video sites, 15%; DSPs for online/mobile video 9%, and data-driven linear TV, 8%. Streaming CTV/OTT comes next at 6% — tied with addressable linear TV.

In particular, the study found big-brand TV advertisers more likely to go to a TV network-owned streaming platforms. Advertising executives want from streamers what they get from linear TV buys: Brand-safe areas, in environments where other premium-produced video content exists.

The downside: CTV/OTT platforms have far less ad inventory available than a typical linear TV network show — which is an attraction to prospective streaming TV consumer/users, as well as pleasing to brand advertisers looking for a less cluttered media environment.

Keep all this in mind as we head into the thick of the upfront selling season — as traditional TV networks make further linear TV and streaming TV selling adjustments.

Now let’s go back to measurement.

Nearly 60% say the more impressions that are bought outside of linear TV networks/platforms, the harder it is to know the precise reach, frequency and effectiveness of overall video advertising campaigns. Thus, marketers continue to seek a industry standard for cross-platforms measurement.

This would also be a big issue at the 2021 TV upfronts. But not the main issue. First, deal with the fraud.