The $122 Question
The keyword “ctv advertising cost” carries a $122 cost-per-click in Google Ads. That’s one of the highest CPCs in the legal marketing category, which tells you two things. First, law firms are actively searching for this information. Second, the companies bidding on this keyword believe the answer is worth paying for.
Here is the answer, backed by real market data.
CTV Advertising Costs: The Actual Numbers
Connected TV advertising for law firms operates on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model. For firms evaluating the broader streaming TV advertising landscape, here is what to expect in 2026.
| Buying Method | CPM Range | Minimum Monthly | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open exchange (programmatic) | $20–$40 | $5,000 | Smaller markets, testing |
| Private marketplace (PMP) | $30–$50 | $10,000 | Mid-market, better inventory |
| Premium direct (Hulu, etc.) | $40–$60+ | $25,000+ | Major DMAs, brand safety |
| Self-serve (Paramount+) | $7–$20 | $500 | Entry-level, sports inventory |
The range exists for a reason. A firm targeting “adults 25-54 in the Houston DMA” will pay less than a firm targeting “personal injury intenders within 5 miles of Houston courthouses.” CTV targeting precision costs more per impression but reduces waste.
What a Real CTV Budget Looks Like
At $30,000 per month in a mid-size market, a law firm can expect roughly these numbers.
| Metric | Range |
|---|---|
| Monthly impressions | 750,000–1,000,000 |
| Households reached | 150,000–200,000 |
| Frequency per household | 5–6x per month |
| Verified website visits | 4,500–7,500 |
| Estimated leads | 60–150 |
| Completion rate | 90–96% |
Those numbers assume standard programmatic buying with basic demographic and geographic targeting. More precise targeting (behavioral, first-party data matching) will reduce impressions but increase quality. And those estimated leads depend on where visitors land. Your website conversion rate determines whether 4,500 visits become 60 leads or 150.
The IAB recommends three to six exposures per household per month for optimal CTV frequency. Below three, recall drops significantly. Above six, returns diminish.
How CTV Compares to Broadcast
The sticker price of CTV is higher than broadcast on a CPM basis. That comparison misses the actual economics of each channel.
| Metric | Broadcast TV | CTV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | $10–$20 | $20–$40 |
| Targeting | Broad demographic | Household-level |
| Waste | High (80% non-target) | Low (40% non-target) |
| Effective CPM (per target impression) | $50–$100 | $33–$67 |
| Completion rate | Variable | 90–96% |
| Attribution | Estimated | Measurable |
When you adjust for targeting precision, CTV often delivers a lower cost per qualified impression than broadcast. The full CTV vs broadcast cost comparison breaks down effective CPM in detail. A $35 CPM where 60% of viewers are in your target audience costs less per relevant impression than a $15 CPM where only 20% are relevant.
What Firms Actually Spend on CTV: Market Data
Our tracking of all 210 DMAs shows exactly how much firms invest in streaming across different markets.
Markets where CTV spend is highest:
| Market | Total CTV Spend | CTV Share | Top CTV Firm | Their CTV Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $6.1M | 47.6% | Montlick | $1.15M |
| Los Angeles | $7.4M | 33.0% | Jacoby & Meyers | est. $2.0M |
| Las Vegas | $1.5M | 33.0% | Multiple | N/A |
| Tampa | $1.2M | 22.0% | Morgan and Morgan | est. $300K |
Atlanta’s $6.1 million monthly CTV spend across 151 advertisers means the average streaming advertiser spends roughly $40,000 per month. The Atlanta streaming shift shows how aggressively that market has moved. Montlick spends $1.15 million monthly on streaming alone. Dozier Law Firm, at 81.3% CTV allocation, spends approximately $336,000 monthly on streaming.
Markets where CTV is wide open:
| Market | Total CTV Spend | CTV Share | Monthly Spend | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC | ~$78K | 3% | $2.6M | First CTV entrant owns the channel |
| Boston | ~$288K | 9% | $3.2M | Morgan at 30% share, all broadcast |
| Dallas | ~$665K | 10% | $6.9M | Thomas J. Henry at 35%, 8.5% CTV |
| New York | ~$1.6M | 11% | $14.5M | Largest market, lowest adoption tier |
In Washington DC, the entire legal advertising market allocates approximately $78,000 monthly to CTV. A single firm spending $25,000 per month on streaming would capture roughly a third of all legal CTV impressions in the nation’s capital.
The Hidden Cost: Not Being on CTV
The most expensive line item in legal advertising isn’t CTV. It’s absence from CTV.
Streaming now accounts for 44.8% of total TV viewing nationally. In adults under 50, the figure is higher. Every month that a firm runs broadcast-only in a market like Dallas, Boston, or Washington DC, it misses the audience that’s already moved to streaming.
CTV advertising spend in the legal category grew 241% between Q1 2023 and Q4 2025, a trend explored in detail in our analysis of where $150 million in legal advertising goes. Q4 2025 marked the highest quarter for legal CTV impressions on record at 3.53% of all local CTV impressions.
The firms that enter CTV in low-adoption markets now are building frequency and recognition with an audience their broadcast-heavy competitors are not reaching. Once those competitors shift budgets to streaming, CPMs in those markets will increase and inventory competition will intensify.
Budget Recommendations by Market Tier
Based on our market data and current CTV pricing, here is what firms should consider.
Major DMAs ($10M+ monthly legal ad spend): New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta. Budget $25,000 to $75,000 monthly for CTV. These markets have enough streaming inventory to absorb significant spend, but CPMs trend higher due to demand.
Large DMAs ($5M–$10M): Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Tampa, San Francisco, Philadelphia. Budget $15,000 to $40,000 monthly. Many of these markets have CTV allocations under 20%, meaning inventory is available at competitive rates.
Mid-size DMAs ($2M–$5M): Boston, Washington DC, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Seattle. Budget $5,000 to $25,000 monthly. Several of these markets have extremely low CTV adoption (Boston 9%, DC 3%), creating first-mover advantages.
Small DMAs (under $2M): Spokane, Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington. Budget $3,000 to $10,000 monthly. In these markets, even modest CTV spend can establish meaningful household frequency.
These ranges reflect current market conditions and should be factored into any law firm advertising budget planning. As CTV adoption increases in each tier, expect CPMs and minimum budgets to rise accordingly.
The Answer to the $122 Question
CTV advertising for law firms costs $20 to $40 CPM for programmatic and $40 to $60+ for premium inventory. Monthly budgets of $5,000 to $25,000 produce meaningful results in most markets. The effective cost per qualified impression is often lower than broadcast television when you account for targeting precision and completion rates.
The more important number isn’t what CTV costs. It’s what CTV costs relative to the competition in your specific market. In markets where the dominant advertisers allocate 90%+ to broadcast, streaming inventory is available at rates that will not last as adoption accelerates.