CTV Advertising for Law Firms: The Complete Guide
79% of households stream. 83% of legal ad spend is still broadcast. CTV closes that gap. Here's how targeting, costs, and measurement actually work.
Connected TV advertising puts your firm on the big screen (Hulu, Peacock, YouTube TV, local news apps) with targeting and measurement that traditional broadcast can’t touch.
This guide covers everything: how CTV works, what it costs, how to measure results, and why it’s becoming the primary awareness channel for growth-focused law firms.
For the full picture of where legal ad dollars are moving, see our 2026 market analysis covering $72M in monthly spend across 28 DMAs.
What Is CTV Advertising?
CTV (Connected TV) is television content streamed via internet-connected devices: smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and gaming consoles. When someone streams content on these devices, they see ads. Your ads, if you’re running CTV campaigns.
CTV is not cable TV (linear, scheduled programming), broadcast TV (over-the-air signals), or YouTube on a phone (that’s mobile video). CTV is streaming content on a television screen with programmatic ad delivery that’s targeted, measurable, and runs across premium inventory from major networks and apps.
A related term is OTT (Over-The-Top), which is video content delivered over the internet, bypassing traditional cable and broadcast distribution. CTV is a subset of OTT: it specifically refers to OTT content watched on a television screen rather than mobile devices or computers.
The distinction matters because CTV combines the impact of television (big screen, living room, high attention) with the precision of digital advertising.
Why CTV Matters for Law Firms
The Audience Has Moved
According to Nielsen, streaming now accounts for 44.8% of total TV viewing, surpassing broadcast and cable combined for the first time. For adults under 50, it’s the majority. If your advertising strategy is broadcast-only, you’re missing a growing share of your market.
The people you’re trying to reach (adults who drive, work, own homes, have families) are watching Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, and local news apps on their smart TVs. CTV reaches them there.
Targeting Changes Everything
Broadcast TV is a blunt instrument. You buy a time slot on a local station and hope your target audience is watching.
CTV enables household targeting, delivering ads to specific households based on demographics, behaviors, and data signals rather than broad program-based buying. You can target by demographics (age, income, household composition), geography (down to zip code or radius around your office), behaviors (auto loan holders, homeowners, people researching legal topics), and intent signals (recent searches, website visits, in-market indicators).
Instead of reaching everyone watching the 6 PM news, you reach households that match your ideal client profile, regardless of what they’re watching.
Measurement Is Real
Broadcast TV measurement is statistical estimation. Ratings tell you approximately how many people might have seen your ad.
CTV measurement is deterministic. You know exactly how many households saw your ad, which households visited your website after exposure, which converted (called, filled out a form), and your cost per lead and cost per case. This isn’t correlation. It’s attribution: tracking the connection between ad exposure and business outcomes like website visits, calls, and signed cases.
How CTV Advertising Works
The Technical Flow
You define your audience (geography, demographics, behaviors), then the platform identifies matching households using data from streaming apps, devices, and third-party sources. Your ad serves when they stream on any content they watch. The platform tracks exposure, recording which households saw your ad, and attribution connects outcomes by matching website visits and conversions back to exposed households.
Inventory: Where Your Ads Run
CTV ads run across premium streaming content including major streaming apps (Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, Discovery+, Max with ads), live TV streaming (YouTube TV, Sling, FuboTV), free ad-supported streaming like Pluto TV, Tubi, Freevee, and local news apps, plus network apps from ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.
Your ads appear in commercial breaks, just like traditional TV, but only to the households you’re targeting.
Ad Formats
The standard :30 spot gives you enough time to tell a story, establish credibility, and deliver a message. :15 spots work well for frequency and reinforcement, particularly for retargeting or brand reminders. :60 spots are less common, used for complex messages or storytelling, though some inventory doesn’t accept them.
According to IAB research, CTV ads are non-skippable with completion rates averaging 94-96%. When your ad serves, it gets watched.
CTV Targeting for Law Firms
Geographic Targeting
- DMA (Designated Market Area): Nielsen-defined geographic regions used for local television advertising, covering entire TV markets like Dallas-Fort Worth.
- State: Follows state boundaries.
- Zip code: Include specific areas or exclude ones you don’t serve.
- Radius: Reach households within a set distance from your office.
For most law firms, DMA targeting with zip code exclusions is the right balance: broad enough for reach, refined enough to avoid waste.
Demographic and Behavioral Targeting
Demographic targeting covers age ranges, household income levels, home ownership status, and presence of children. But behavioral targeting is where CTV gets powerful for law firms:
- Auto-related segments: Reach current auto loan holders, recent auto purchasers, and multiple vehicle households. Ideal for auto accident practices.
- Employment segments: Target specific industries and job types for workers’ comp or employment law cases.
- Health-related segments: Reach people researching specific conditions or medications for mass tort campaigns.
- Legal intent segments: Find people actively researching lawyers and legal topics.
Behavioral targeting comes from aggregated data (purchase history, browsing behavior, survey responses) matched to households.
First-Party Targeting
You can upload your own data for targeting:
- CRM lists: Target households matching your past client profiles.
- Website visitor retargeting: Reach people who’ve already been to your site.
- Exclusion lists: Keep current clients from seeing ads.
First-party data is powerful but requires sufficient list size, typically 5,000+ records for matching.
CTV Measurement and Attribution
What You Can Measure
CTV platforms track impressions (times your ad served), reach (unique households exposed), frequency (average exposures per household), and completion rate (typically 95%+). More importantly, they measure verified visits (households that saw your ad AND visited your website), conversions (form submissions, phone calls, chat initiations), and efficiency metrics like cost per visit and cost per lead.
How Attribution Works
CTV attribution uses household-level matching. The platform records IP address and device ID when your ad serves. When someone visits your website, their IP/device is captured. The platform matches website visitors to ad exposure, and if a match occurs within the attribution window (typically 14-30 days), it’s counted as a verified visit.
For phone calls, integration with call tracking platforms like CallRail or Invoca enables call attribution back to CTV exposure.
Attribution Windows and Benchmarks
A 7-day window is conservative with high confidence. 14 days is balanced and typical for local services. 21-30 days suits longer consideration cycles. For personal injury, 14-21 days is appropriate. Someone sees your ad, gets in an accident a week later, searches for you, and that’s a valid attribution path.
Realistic benchmarks for law firm CTV campaigns:
| Metric | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| CPM | $30-50 |
| Completion rate | 95%+ |
| Verified visit rate | 0.4-1.0% |
| Cost per verified visit | $30-75 |
| Cost per lead | $200-500 |
Results vary by market, targeting, creative quality, and practice area. For deeper analysis, see our guide to CTV ROI benchmarks.
CTV Costs and Budgeting
How Pricing Works
CTV is priced on CPM (Cost Per Thousand), the cost to deliver 1,000 advertising impressions. You pay for ad deliveries, not clicks or outcomes.
| Inventory Type | CPM Range |
|---|---|
| Premium (Hulu, Peacock) | $40-55 |
| Mid-tier streaming | $30-45 |
| FAST channels (Tubi, Pluto) | $20-35 |
| Blended/programmatic | $32-45 |
CPMs vary by inventory quality, targeting specificity (tighter targeting = higher CPM), seasonality (Q4 and election years are higher), and market (major metros cost more). For a detailed breakdown, see CTV CPM rates explained.
Monthly Budget Recommendations
| Market Size | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Small DMA (under 300K households) | $12-15K | $18-25K |
| Mid DMA (300K-800K) | $20-30K | $35-50K |
| Large DMA (800K-2M) | $35-50K | $60-90K |
| Top 10 DMA | $60-80K | $100-150K |
These budgets achieve meaningful reach and frequency. Below minimum, you’re not reaching enough households often enough to build awareness. For market-specific guidance, see CTV budget by market size.
What Budget Gets You
At $30K/month in a mid-size market, expect roughly 750,000-1M impressions, 150,000-200,000 households reached, 5-6 frequency per household, 4,500-7,500 verified visits, and 60-150 leads depending on conversion rate.
Beyond Media: Full Campaign Costs
CTV campaigns involve more than media spend:
- Creative production: $10-50K for quality :30 spots.
- Platform fees: Often included in CPM or add 10-15% of spend.
- Management fees: Apply if working with an agency.
- Tracking setup: Call tracking and pixel implementation.
Plan for creative as a real investment. Cheap creative undermines expensive media. See hidden costs of CTV advertising for the full picture.
CTV Creative for Law Firms
What Works
- + The hook (first 3 seconds): Interrupt with relevance. Their problem, not your firm
- + Credibility (seconds 4-15): Specific experience, results, specialization
- + Emotional connection (seconds 10-20): Real stories and real stakes
- + The call to action (final 5-8 seconds): Large phone number, firm name, clear next step
What Doesn't Work
- − Starting with your logo (nobody cares until you've established relevance)
- − Generic stock footage (looks like every other law firm ad)
- − Cramming too much information (one message, one CTA)
- − Weak audio (CTV is sound-on, so invest in professional voiceover)
- − Tiny phone numbers (if they can't read it from the couch, it's useless)
Creative Rotation
Don’t run one ad forever. Plan for:
- 2-3 variations minimum to prevent fatigue
- Refresh every 8-12 weeks in heavy-frequency campaigns
- Test different hooks to find what resonates
- Seasonal relevance when appropriate (winter driving, summer activities)
For production guidance, see CTV creative production requirements.
CTV vs. Other Channels
CTV vs. Broadcast TV
| Factor | Broadcast | CTV |
|---|---|---|
| Targeting | Program-based (estimated demo) | Household-level (verified data) |
| Measurement | Ratings (statistical) | Deterministic (actual) |
| Minimum buy | Often $50K+ | Can start at $15-20K |
| Flexibility | Locked schedules | Real-time optimization |
| Waste | High (reaching non-targets) | Lower (targeted delivery) |
CTV doesn’t replace broadcast for everyone. Major market saturation still benefits from broadcast reach. But for most firms, CTV delivers better efficiency and measurement. See CTV vs broadcast for law firms for a deeper comparison.
CTV vs. Google Ads
| Factor | Google Ads | CTV |
|---|---|---|
| Funnel position | Bottom (capture existing demand) | Top (create demand) |
| Competition | Extreme (everyone bidding) | Lower (fewer advertisers) |
| CPL trend | Rising 15-25% annually | More stable |
| Brand building | Minimal | Strong |
| Measurability | Immediate | Delayed (attribution window) |
They’re complementary, not competing. CTV creates awareness and demand. Search captures it. Running CTV without search protection lets competitors take your leads. More on this in CTV vs Google Ads for personal injury.
CTV vs. Social Ads
| Factor | Social Ads | CTV |
|---|---|---|
| Attention | Low (scrolling, skipping) | High (lean-back viewing) |
| Completion | Low | 95%+ |
| Brand perception | Variable | Premium (TV context) |
| Targeting | Excellent | Excellent |
| Cost per impression | Lower | Higher |
Social is good for retargeting and reinforcement. CTV is better for initial awareness and brand building. The big screen carries more weight than the phone screen. See CTV vs social media ads.
Getting Started with CTV
Platform Options
- Managed service platforms (MNTN, Tatari): Handle campaign management with built-in optimization. The right choice for most law firms focused on performance.
- Self-service platforms (The Trade Desk, Roku OneView): Give you direct control but require expertise and ongoing management time.
- Direct publisher deals (Hulu, Peacock): Guarantee premium inventory but come with higher minimums and less targeting flexibility.
For most law firms, managed service platforms offer the right balance of capability and simplicity. See self-serve CTV vs managed for help deciding.
Implementation Essentials
CTV Campaign Implementation
Before Launch
Define target audience (geo, demo, behavioral), set budget and timeline, produce :30 and :15 creative versions, implement website pixel, and configure call tracking attribution.
At Launch
Confirm targeting is correct, verify pixel is firing, test call tracking, and establish baseline metrics.
Ongoing
Monitor delivery and pacing, review verified visits weekly, track conversions, optimize based on performance, and refresh creative as needed.
Timeline Expectations
CTV Performance Timeline
Month 1
Months 2-3
Month 4+
CTV is not a switch you flip for immediate leads. It builds awareness that converts over time. Give it at least 90 days before evaluating success.
Branded Search Protection
This is critical and often missed.
When your CTV ad works, people don’t call immediately. They grab their phone and search your name. If competitors are bidding on your brand terms, they intercept your leads. According to MNTN Research, 65% of second-screen users go to an advertiser’s website while streaming, but they often search first.
CTV creates demand. Search captures it.
If you’re running CTV without protecting your branded search terms, you’re paying to generate leads for competitors.
Branded search protection means bidding on your own firm name, defending against competitor conquesting, coordinating CTV and search timing, and capturing the demand you create. This is why CTV can’t be run in isolation. It’s part of a system. See our complete guide to branded search protection.
The Taqtics Approach
We run CTV differently.
Exclusivity: When we work with a firm, competitors in your market can’t access our custom audiences. Your targeting is yours alone.
Full-service creative: We produce the spots: strategy, scripting, production, editing. No hand-off to a third-party production house.
Search integration: CTV and branded search run as one coordinated system. We create demand and capture it.
Real attribution: Connected tracking from impression to lead to signed case. You know what’s working.
Transparent reporting: You see everything: impressions, reach, frequency, visits, conversions, costs.
Next Steps
References
eMarketer. (2025). One of the largest sources of new video ad inventory: Spending on CTV. https://www.emarketer.com/content/one-of-largest-sources-of-new-video-ad-inventory-spending-ctv
Innovid & IAB. (2022). CTV takes center stage: Global benchmarks report. Interactive Advertising Bureau. https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Innovid_CTV-Takes-Center-Stage.pdf
MNTN Research. (2023). Data reveals 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). An exploration of second-screen use by TV viewers. https://research.mountain.com/insights/an-exploration-of-second-screen-use-by-tv-viewers/
Nielsen. (2025). Streaming reaches historic TV milestone. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone/
Nielsen. (2025). Connected TV: Transforming advertising trends. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2025/connected-tv-transforming-advertising-trends/
Tatari. (2025). What is CTV? Understanding connected TV advertising in 2025. https://www.tatari.tv/insights/what-is-ctv-understanding-connected-tv-advertising-in-2025
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