Skip to content

CTV User Acquisition in 2026

How consumers experience CTV ads,

and what app marketers must do to win.



CTV UA Guide animation

Scale CTV in 2026

CTV doesn't behave like mobile channels. That's why many teams still undercount its impact. But it’s clear that CTV is a performance channel when executed correctly. In our 2026 CTV User Acquisition Guide, we surveyed 400 U.S. consumers who were recently exposed to mobile app ads on CTV. The result is a clear blueprint for how CTV drives installs across screens and over time. If you want to scale your strategy with confidence, this is the report for you.

 

What’s inside

✅ Influence drives installs: 57% of viewers say CTV ads influenced them to install an app, with most conversions happening later through mobile search and store visits.

✅ Search is the bridge: 58% search for the app after exposure, making branded search and store readiness critical to capturing CTV driven demand.

✅ Creative determines scale: Clear messaging, strong proof, and disciplined frequency control separate incremental growth from wasted spend.

 

EXpert insights

Gamestory logo

 

As CTV scales, measurement must move beyond impressions and clicks. The real signal lies in view-through impact and cross-screen behavior.

Lidor2

Lidor Feldman

Growth Marketing Lead | Gamestory

Tech Tree Logo

Scaling breaks when frequency rises without rotation. Plan creative pods, sequence messages, and refresh early. Repetition makes people tune out well before your budget maxes out.

Colin

Colin Tong

Sr. Growth Marketing Manager | Tech Tree Games

Dogpack (2)Every vertical has a different clock speed. Gaming and QSR can convert fast because intent is immediate. Finance and travel are trust businesses, and trust takes repetition. If you’re using one measurement window for every category, you’re going to make bad decisions and then blame the channel.

Hitesh

Hitesh Dhingra

Head of Growth | DogPack

What we’ll cover: 


Adikteev-ok  Key differences between mobile UA and retargeting ad creatives

Adikteev-ok  Similarities and differences in ad creative testing strategies for UA vs retargeting campaigns

Adikteev-ok  Best practices in segmenting, targeting and creative messaging to existing users to keep them engaged and spending in your app

Adikteev-ok  Evaluating the effectiveness of creative in the new privacy landscape

Featured speakers:

Profile picture-Peggy-2
MG_logo_with_strap (2)
Peggy Anne Salz
Content Marketing Strategist
Peggy Anne Salz is recognized as one of the leading experts shaping the mobile world. As a writer, analyst, consultant, in-demand online talent and founder of MobileGroove — a top 50 ranked destination providing strategic content marketing to the global mobile industry and mentoring and consulting to tech start-ups — Peggy produces webinars, podcasts, and video shows to educate marketers on the latest mobile and app trends, customer engagement and experience, and how brands and businesses can grow sustainably through values-driven marketing.
Profile picture-Cameron
Logo_adikteev_H (Blue)-1
Cameron Thom
Head of New Business Lines
Cameron is Adikteev’s Chief Revenue Officer for New Business Lines. He joined Adikteev 5 years ago as Director of Sales for SaaS Products. Before Adikteev, he had worked as an Account Executive for Liftoff. Based in San Francisco, he leads all revenue efforts for Adikteev’s suite of mobile marketing tools including Churn Prediction, Cross Promotion, and User Acquisition intelligence tools.
Profile picture-Arnaud
Logo_adikteev_H (Blue)-1
Arnaud Capitaine
Lead Data Scientist
As the lead data scientist at Adikteev, Arnaud is responsible for developing and enhancing our churn model, improving our existing conversion rate model, and designing new approaches to real-time bidding (RTB) strategies. With a strong background in statistical analysis and machine learning techniques, he keeps the Adikteev machine running by delivering actionable recommendations and driving data science innovation.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!