Connected TV (CTV) and OTT Landscape in Mexico for 2025
The Mexican advertising market is undergoing a transformation that few anticipated just five years ago. With 110 million internet users at the start of 2025, representing 83.3% of the total population according to Branch, connected TV has moved beyond a future promise to become the channel where brands compete for the attention of increasingly fragmented audiences. Advertising investment in Mexico reached $7.722 billion in 2024, a 4% increase over the previous year according to Produ. Within this landscape, digital advertising on connected TV represents an opportunity that mid-sized agencies can no longer ignore.
Growth of streaming consumption vs. broadcast TV
The migration to streaming is not gradual; it is accelerating. Digital video and CTV formats accounted for 62.2% of digital investment in 2024, totaling $2.8 billion according to Total Medios. Broadcast TV remains relevant for mass events and older audiences, but screen time is being redistributed toward platforms where the viewer controls what to watch and when to watch it. For agencies, this means rethinking strategies that for decades relied on prime-time slots and linear programming.
Profile of the Mexican digital viewer
The Mexican streaming viewer has specific characteristics that differentiate them from other markets. They primarily consume content during evening hours, between 8 PM and 11 PM, although streaming allows for a flexibility that traditional TV never offered. Cities with the highest smart TV penetration include Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, but mid-sized cities like Querétaro, Puebla, and Mérida are showing accelerated growth. This profile prefers on-demand content, tolerates advertising when it is relevant and short, and responds better to personalized messages than to generic spots.
Key platforms and inventory ecosystem
Understanding the CTV advertising inventory ecosystem requires knowing the main players and their business models. Not all platforms offer the same purchasing options or the same levels of access for mid-sized agencies.
Local broadcasters: ViX, TV Azteca, and Claro Video
ViX, the TelevisaUnivision platform, dominates the local market with Spanish-language content that resonates with Mexican audiences. Its freemium model includes an ad-supported tier that represents valuable inventory for advertisers. TV Azteca maintains its streaming app with live and on-demand content, offering direct purchasing options for campaigns. Claro Video, backed by América Móvil, integrates its offering with telecommunications packages, giving it reach in households with the company's services. These local platforms offer competitive CPMs and verified audiences within Mexican territory.
Global giants: Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and Prime Video
Netflix launched its ad-supported tier in Mexico, opening up premium inventory that was previously inaccessible. Disney+ followed the same path, combining family content with advertising options. YouTube CTV represents one of the largest inventories: Mexicans consume hours of content on YouTube via smart TVs, and the platform offers accessible programmatic buying. Amazon's Prime Video incorporated advertising on their service base, expanding options for advertisers. These global platforms often require higher minimum investments when purchased directly, but programmatic access through DSPs democratizes access.
Smart TV Manufacturers (OEMs): Samsung Ads and Roku
Samsung Ads offers native inventory on Samsung TVs, including placements on the home screen and during navigation. Roku, with significant penetration in Mexico, allows ads on its interface and within free channels in its ecosystem. These OEMs represent unique inventory: they reach the viewer even before they choose which streaming platform to use. For awareness campaigns, this positioning has strategic value that complements purchases on content platforms.
Buying models and estimated costs in the Mexican market
Connected TV accounted for 340 million dollars in investment during 2024, equivalent to 12.6% of total television investment according to Marketing4eCommerce. This data reflects a mature market but one with considerable room for growth. Mid-sized agencies can access this inventory through two main routes.
Programmatic buying vs. direct buying (IO)
Direct buying through Insertion Orders remains common with local broadcasters and platforms that prefer traditional business relationships. This model involves negotiations, high minimum investments, and implementation times of several weeks. Programmatic buying, on the other hand, allows access to inventory from multiple sources through a single platform, with the flexibility to adjust budgets and targeting in real time.
Platforms like Masha eliminate the friction of traditional buying, allowing you to launch streaming television campaigns starting from 2,000 Mexican pesos, with no minimum investments or long-term contracts. This accessibility transforms the landscape for agencies that previously considered TV out of their reach. Registration takes less than five minutes and campaigns can be active in days, not weeks.
Investment metrics: CPMs and minimum budgets
CPMs in Mexican CTV vary depending on the platform and the level of targeting. Premium inventory on global platforms can reach CPMs of 150 to 300 Mexican pesos, while more accessible programmatic options operate in ranges of 50 to 120 pesos. With Masha, pricing starts from 0.01 pesos per view, which represents a true democratization of access to television advertising.
Mexico led digital advertising investment in August 2025 with 482 million dollars according to Total Medios, confirming the market's maturity. Traditional minimum budgets for direct buying range between 50,000 and 200,000 pesos, but self-service platforms drastically reduce these barriers.
Advanced segmentation and targeting capabilities
The competitive advantage of CTV over traditional TV lies in its targeting capabilities. It is no longer about buying time slots and hoping the right audience is watching; it is about reaching exactly the people who matter to your client.
Geolocation by state and major city
The geographic segmentation in CTV allows you to direct campaigns to specific states, cities, or even metropolitan areas. A restaurant chain in Monterrey can show its ads exclusively to local viewers, without wasting budget on audiences in other regions. This geographic granularity is especially valuable for businesses with a local or regional presence that previously could not justify TV investments due to the inherent waste of national coverage.
The most sophisticated platforms allow you to combine multiple cities into a single campaign, optimizing budget distribution based on the size of each market. Masha offers this segmentation by geographic location and interests, allowing agencies to design campaigns that respect the regional differences of the Mexican market.
Segmentation by interests and purchasing behavior
Beyond geography, CTV allows for segmentation based on declared interests, browsing behavior, and content consumption patterns. A sports product advertiser can target viewers who consume fitness, sports, or active lifestyle content. A financial services brand can reach people interested in investments, real estate, or entrepreneurship.
This segmentation is built using first-party platform data, integrated third-party data, and machine learning that identifies behavioral patterns. Combining geographic segmentation with interests creates precise audiences that maximize return on ad spend.
Key providers and specialized agencies in Mexico
The ecosystem of providers for CTV ad buying includes global DSPs like The Trade Desk and DV360, which offer access to premium inventory but require technical expertise and significant investment minimums. Agencies specializing in programmatic act as intermediaries, adding their margin on top of media costs.
For mid-sized agencies seeking direct control without intermediaries, self-service platforms represent the most efficient option. Masha is positioned in this space, allowing agencies and businesses to manage their campaigns directly, with transparent pricing and no hidden platform or agency fees. The ability to plan media, create video and audio ads with generative AI, launch campaigns, and track performance from a single platform simplifies operations that traditionally required multiple tools and providers.
Trading desks at large agency groups maintain preferential access to certain inventory, but the barriers to entry that once protected this market are eroding with every new self-service platform that democratizes access.
Steps to implement a successful digital TV campaign
Executing a CTV campaign requires planning, but the process is more accessible than many assume. The key is to understand the technical requirements and establish clear metrics from the start.
Creative formats and technical specifications
Standard formats for CTV include 15- and 30-second spots, with the 15-second format gaining preference for its efficiency and lower production cost. Typical technical specifications require a minimum resolution of 1080p, MP4 or MOV format, and stereo audio. Some platforms accept 6-second formats for bumper ads, which are ideal for reinforcing awareness with high frequency.
Creative assets must account for the fact that viewers are watching on a large screen in an entertainment context. Messages should be clear from the very first second, with visible branding and specific calls to action. Unlike digital video on mobile, CTV viewers generally cannot click, so CTAs must direct them to memorable URLs or easy-to-remember promo codes.
Platforms like Masha allow for the creation of video and audio ads using generative AI, lowering the production barrier that previously limited many advertisers. This integrated capability means an agency can go from concept to active campaign without relying on external production houses for basic assets.
Measuring results and sales attribution
Measurement in CTV combines traditional TV metrics like reach and frequency with digital capabilities such as video completion rates and attributed conversions. Platforms report served impressions, video view percentages, and viewability metrics. Sales attribution requires integration with additional tools or methodologies like lift studies and incrementality analysis.
Masha offers real-time metrics, allowing agencies to monitor campaign performance and optimize while they are live. This visibility contrasts with traditional TV, where results arrived weeks later through rating studies that did not connect directly to business outcomes.
For more sophisticated attribution, some agencies implement exclusive TV promo codes, dedicated URLs, or web traffic analysis correlated with airtimes. Combining platform data with internal analytics allows for a more complete picture of campaign impact.
The future of Connected TV advertising
The Mexican CTV market is at a tipping point where agencies that master this channel will have a sustainable competitive advantage. Entry costs have dropped, tools have been simplified, and audiences have already migrated. What is missing is for more mid-sized agencies to overcome the inertia of continuing to invest exclusively in traditional digital channels.
The opportunity is clear: reach audiences in the premium context of television with the precision of digital marketing at prices that were previously unthinkable. Agencies that experiment now with modest budgets will build the knowledge and relationships that will allow them to scale when their clients demand results in this channel.
If you are looking for an accessible way to get started with streaming TV advertising, Masha allows you to launch campaigns starting at 2,000 pesos with no contracts or minimums, registration in under five minutes, and real-time metrics. Learn more here.
