CTV Seasonality: When to Spend More (and Less)

CTV costs and competition fluctuate throughout the year. Understanding seasonality helps you optimize budget allocation and timing for maximum impact.

The Seasonality Pattern

Month-by-Month Considerations

Month	CPM Trend	Competition	Recommendation
January	Lower	Moderate	Good value, increase spend
February	Moderate	Moderate	Standard spending
March	Moderate	Higher (NCAA)	Watch sports inventory
April	Moderate	Moderate	Standard spending
May	Moderate	Lower	Good value
June	Moderate	Lower	Good value
July	Moderate	Lower	Good value
August	Moderate	Lower	Good value
September	Rising	Rising	Prepare for Q4
October	High	High	Budget carefully
November	Highest	Highest	Be strategic
December	High	High	Consider reducing

PI-Specific Considerations

Accident Patterns

Accidents don't follow advertising seasons:

• Winter weather increases accidents
• Summer travel increases exposure
• Holiday travel spikes
• Year-round need exists

Case Development Timeline

Cases take months to resolve:

• Q1 advertising → Q2-Q3 case signings
• Consistent presence matters more than timing
• Don't time to immediate need

Intake Capacity

Consider your operational reality:

• Can you handle holiday leads?
• Summer vacation staffing?
• Partner availability?

Timing Strategies

Strategy 1: Consistent Presence

Approach: Same spend every month Advantage: Steady awareness, no gaps Best for: Most firms

Consistency builds recognition. ROAS improves 24% after 90 days of steady investment.

Strategy 2: Value Optimization

Approach: Heavier in low-cost periods, lighter in high-cost Example:

• Q1: 30% of annual budget
• Q2: 25%
• Q3: 25%
• Q4: 20%

Advantage: More impressions per dollar Risk: Reduced presence during high-viewership periods

Strategy 3: Competitive Counter

Approach: Heavy when competitors are light Advantage: Share of voice when others retreat Best for: Challenger brands

Strategy 4: Inventory Alignment

Approach: Match spending to available inventory Advantage: Access best placements Best for: Premium positioning focus

Budget Allocation by Quarter

For $600K Annual Budget

Consistent approach:

• Q1: $150K
• Q2: $150K
• Q3: $150K
• Q4: $150K

Value-optimized approach:

• Q1: $180K (30%)
• Q2: $150K (25%)
• Q3: $150K (25%)
• Q4: $120K (20%)

Aggressive Q1 approach:

• Q1: $200K (33%)
• Q2: $150K (25%)
• Q3: $150K (25%)
• Q4: $100K (17%)

Weekly and Daily Timing

Day-of-Week Patterns

• Weekends: Higher viewership
• Friday-Sunday: Prime streaming time
• Monday-Tuesday: Lower, but engaged viewers

Time-of-Day Patterns

• Evening (7-11pm): Peak viewing
• Late night: Lower cost, specific audiences
• Daytime: Lower viewership, lower cost

Daypart Strategy

Daypart	Cost	Reach	Recommendation
Prime (7-11pm)	Highest	Highest	Core presence
Late night	Lower	Moderate	Extend reach
Daytime	Lowest	Lower	Efficiency add

Most campaigns weight toward prime with extensions.

Election Year Considerations

Political advertising significantly impacts Q3-Q4:

• 2024, 2028, etc. affected
• Political CPMs can spike 40-60%
• Swing state markets hit hardest
• Plan early, lock inventory if possible

Election Year Strategy

• Front-load spending (Q1-Q2)
• Reduce Q4 or lock early
• Consider non-political inventory
• Accept higher costs or lower presence

Holiday Considerations

Major Holidays

Thanksgiving week:

• High viewership (travel, football)
• High competition
• Premium inventory value

Christmas-New Year:

• High viewership
• Retail competition intense
• Consider reducing or maintaining

Super Bowl:

• Extreme premium
• Avoid unless sports-focused
• Week before/after affected

Holiday Strategy

Maintain presence but don't fight for premium:

• Reduce spend 20-30% in peak holiday weeks
• Reallocate to January
• Don't disappear completely

Building Your Calendar

Seasonality vs. Consistency Trade-off

The best timing strategy is often: don't overthink it.

Reality check:

• Consistent presence builds recognition
• Gaps hurt more than timing optimization helps
• Accidents happen year-round

For most firms: consistent presence beats seasonal optimization. The firm that runs 12 months at $30K beats the firm that runs 6 months at $50K. Even though they spent less.

For complete budget planning, see CTV Budget by Market Size.

References

• MNTN Research. (2023). Increased investment in CTV leads to better performance. https://research.mountain.com/trends/data-reveals-increased-investment-in-ctv-leads-to-better-performance/
• MNTN Research. (2025). 62% of consumers discover new brands through TV. https://research.mountain.com/insights/62-of-consumers-discover-new-brands-or-products-through-tv/