The connected television advertising market is bifurcating between the abundant dreams of programmatic and the reality of scarce, premium content.
The industry may be finding itself in a hybrid model where tentpole events like the World Cup must be booked far in advance, while performance-focused campaigns demand the nimble optimization that digital platforms provide.
That is the tightrope the industry is currently walking, according to Frank Puma, portfolio investment lead at WPP Media, in this video interview with Beet.TV. For a major holding company like WPP, which has recently secured large European media accounts for Henkel and Reckitt, mastering this dual approach is critical in a landscape where streaming is ascendant over linear television.
Content comes first
For streamers looking to secure upfront commitments during events like the NewFronts, the message should be simple and direct, Puma advised – they must lead with their most valuable and exclusive assets, a strategy that plays directly into the scarcity model that still governs a significant portion of video ad spending.
“Content first,” Puma said. “They should always think about what do they have that won’t be available tomorrow? What will they think won’t be there? Because CTV as a whole, and when you think about more of the long tail, is always available in the space, always available programmatically.”
The crucial differentiator, he argued, is what a publisher can offer that cannot be sourced through an open exchange. It is this uniqueness, whether in programming or data capabilities, that justifies a direct, upfront negotiation.
Choosing the right path
Deciding whether to commit budgets to upfront deals or allocate them to programmatic channels comes down to a client’s core objective. Puma explained that the calculus extends beyond just locking down scarce inventory; it is also about securing access to highly specific and elusive audience segments that cannot be easily assembled in real time.
“It’s about inventory and audiences that you may need, that you need to pull off the marketplace,” he said. For major live sporting events or cultural moments, the window for action is long before the event itself. “If you want, obviously FIFA, you want the World Cup… you’re not going to be able to activate that a month in. You’re activating that a year and a half in.”
Conversely, if the campaign goal is tied to direct response or acquisition, the flexibility of programmatic buying becomes paramount. “If you’re going more acquisition, you want to be nimble, you want to be able to optimize,” Puma noted. “But if it’s about being in front of this audience, this water cooler moments, which are so few of, that we know sell out, you want to get in front of it in the upfront.”
AI’s creative potential
While much of the discussion around artificial intelligence in advertising focuses on media buying and optimization, Puma sees its most transformative potential on the creative side of CTV. That tallies with WPP’s recent strategic moves, including the January 2026 launch of WPP Production, a new unit focused on using AI to enhance content creation.
He described a future where AI can process on-screen content and deliver a richer, more contextually relevant ad experience in real time. “If you look at something and the thing it scans the screen, it’s like, ‘Oh wait, they’re eating cereal. Let’s put a dynamic cereal there,’” Puma offered as an example. “Doing things like that with AI because it can process things so quickly, I think allows to open up the creativity.”
This capability, he argued, fundamentally shifts television advertising from a one-to-many broadcast model to a truly personalized medium. By leveraging AI to process consumer and contextual data instantly, brands can deliver a more tailored message. “It really allows for an experience that’s relevant, right content, right context, right consumer,” Puma said. “You have the three C’s right there.”
You’re watching “Publisher-Direct Approach & Content Value: Building Partnerships That Drive Outcomes,” a Beet.TV Leadership Series at IAB NewFronts 2026, presented by Future Today. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
