A neighborhood restaurant in Guadalajara, a dental clinic in Puebla, or an online store in Monterrey can now appear on "TV"... without talking to a sales executive, without signing long-term contracts, and without investing a fortune. The key lies in the combination of Connected TV (CTV), streaming, and self-service advertising platforms that put control directly in your hands.
The context couldn't be more favorable: streaming content consumption in Mexico grew 26.7% in just seven months of 2024, and all signs point to this accelerated adoption continuing throughout 2025, according to Marketing4eCommerce. If the audience has already moved to streaming, it makes sense for advertising to follow suit... but with a more flexible and democratic model.
That is where self-service television advertising comes in: a system where you set up your campaigns, choose audiences, define your budget, and see results in real time, without intermediaries. And in Mexico, this model is not just a tech trend; it is starting to redefine how SMEs and agencies plan their media mix.
The CTV and streaming boom in Mexico
Connected TV is no longer just for "early adopters." More than 65% of internet users in Mexico consume connected TV, which is equivalent to more than 51 million people, according to Comscore data published by IAB México. This means that if your brand is already investing in social media or search, your audience is likely also in front of a Smart TV, Roku, or similar device every day.
Beyond the quantity, the way people consume content has changed. People choose what to watch, when to watch it, and on which screen. The "turn on the TV and watch whatever is on" model is fading, while streaming platforms are becoming the new television—only much more measurable and segmentable. For an SME, this opens a historic window: for the first time, they can appear on the same device where major series are watched, but pay only for real views and hyper-segmented campaigns.
This growth in CTV is also driving a new generation of advertising tools. Where everything used to go through media agencies and closed negotiations, today there are self-service platforms that allow you to place ads on apps like Pluto TV or Roku with processes as simple as setting up a social media campaign.
What self-service television advertising means
Self-service television advertising is, basically, the ability to buy ad space on Streaming TV and CTV using an online platform, without having to talk to a salesperson, without sending physical documents, and without waiting weeks to go live. You log in, create your account, upload your video, choose your targeting, budget, and dates... and that's it, your ad starts running on the selected connected TV apps.
Instead of the classic "send me your media plan and I'll give you a quote," the self-service model works more like an online ad store: you see available inventory, estimate how many views you can get with your budget, define how much you want to pay, and review metrics in real time. On platforms like Masha, the cost can start from $0.01 MXN per view, with no long-term contracts and no minimum investment requirements, which drastically lowers the barrier to entry for small businesses.
Another key change is control. With traditional broadcast TV advertising, brands often didn't know exactly which programs their ads appeared in, what results they generated, or how to optimize their spend week by week. In a self-service CTV model, you can choose cities, states, interests, and content consumption habits, see how many impressions were generated, in which apps, and at what cost, and adjust everything on the fly.
Why the self-service model is a perfect fit for the Mexican market
Small and medium-sized Mexican businesses have always been at a disadvantage in television: high entry costs, a lack of flexibility, and the bureaucracy involved in advertising on traditional channels. Meanwhile, digital media has grown strongly, and today, according to the Advertiser Perceptions report, the fastest-growing media are Retail Media, Social Media, and CTV, as noted by Programmatic México. This confirms that CTV is now on par with the channels that SMEs know and use every day.
Furthermore, the advertising pie in Mexico continues to grow. In 2024, total advertising spend reached 140.306 billion pesos, a 4% increase over the previous year, according to data reported by Expansión. This constant growth, despite economic uncertainty, indicates that brands are still looking for places to invest, but with higher demands for measurement, flexibility, and return.
That is where self-service advertising on Streaming TV fits perfectly: it allows SMEs to enter a historically "closed" medium, align with the shift toward CTV already being led by major advertisers, and at the same time, maintain the granular budget control they are already accustomed to having on platforms like Meta Ads or Google Ads.
Connected TV vs. traditional TV: differences that impact your bottom line
In traditional TV, buying ad space usually involves fixed time blocks, closed packages, and high investment commitments. Furthermore, measurement is based on audience averages, not user-level data. That is why many SMEs simply dismissed the idea of advertising on television. According to experts like Frank Estrada, it is likely that the decline in television investment will continue and that "the big winner, the internet, will strengthen even further as it makes it easier for brands to reach their potential buyers directly," as noted by Forbes México.
In CTV and Streaming TV, the approach is different: you pay for actual impressions or views, you can start with small budgets, and you know exactly how many people saw your ad. You don't depend on an estimated "rating," but on digital metrics. That means less wasted investment and more capacity to test, learn, and scale only the campaigns that work.
The user experience also changes. An ad on Streaming TV usually appears in a less cluttered environment than a social media feed, on a big screen, with sound and relatively high attention. For many brands, this combination of high-impact quality and flexible purchasing is what ultimately tips the scales toward connected TV.
How to launch a self-service campaign on Streaming TV step by step
Setting up a television campaign no longer has to be a months-long project. On a self-service platform like Masha, the process is very similar to creating a digital campaign, just with a video format for TV. Registration takes less than five minutes, the interface is simple, and it allows you to launch a campaign in fewer than 10 clicks, without the need for advanced technical knowledge.
The typical workflow looks like this: you choose the objective (reach, views, brand awareness), define the targeting by state, city, interests, and viewing habits, set a total or daily budget, and upload your video ad. From there, the platform distributes your ads across Streaming TV and CTV services like Pluto TV, Roku, and other OTT apps, both in on-demand content and live channels.
The most valuable part is that you can see metrics in real time: impressions, completed views, frequency, cost per view, and performance by segment. If you notice that one city is responding better than another, or that a certain interest generates cheaper views, you can adjust on the fly. No calls, no paperwork, without waiting for the end of the month.
Best practices to get the most out of your budget
Self-service technology makes things much easier, but the results still depend on a solid strategy. The first step is to be clear about what you want to achieve: build brand awareness in a specific city? Drive traffic to your site? Promote a seasonal offer? A well-defined goal helps you better choose your targeting, budget, and ad creative.
The second crucial point is video. On connected TV, the first few seconds are pure gold. It’s best to show your brand quickly, make the main benefit clear, and close with a simple call to action: visit a website, scan a QR code, look you up on social media, or head straight to the point of sale. You don’t need a cinema-grade production; many SMBs achieve great results with clear, direct, and well-edited videos.
Finally, it’s worth thinking in terms of testing and optimization cycles. Start with a moderate budget, launch several versions of creatives or audience segments, analyze metrics in real time, and scale only what performs best. The advantage of platforms like Masha is that there are no contracts or minimums, so you can adjust your investment based on results instead of committing to a rigid plan for months.
Looking ahead to 2025: where CTV advertising is headed
All signs point to continued strong growth for streaming and CTV in Mexico throughout 2025, fueled by an audience that has grown accustomed to choosing on-demand content and using Smart TVs as their primary screen. The 26.7% jump in streaming consumption in just seven months of 2024, reported by Marketing4eCommerce, is a clear signal that the adoption curve is still rising and that there is still room for more advertisers to enter the game.
Globally, digital video advertising surpassed television advertising in 2022, and that lead is expected to continue widening in the coming years, according to data compiled by NotiPress. Mexico is no exception: with such a large base of CTV users and an advertising market that continues to grow, the pressure for brands to shift budgets toward more measurable formats will only increase.
In this context, self-service television advertising is emerging as one of the most efficient ways to ride the wave. It allows SMBs to get in early, learn quickly, and build brand presence in a medium that, until recently, seemed reserved only for large corporations. For agencies, it opens up a new business unit with high demand and low operational friction. And for the market in general, it accelerates the transition toward a more open, transparent, and results-driven television landscape.
Ready to launch your first TV campaign? Masha offers you the opportunity to enter the world of streaming TV advertising easily and affordably. With our platform, you can start with as little as $2,000 MXN and pay from $0.01 per view, without worrying about investment minimums or long-term contracts. Sign up in less than 5 minutes, choose your streaming platforms, target your audience, and monitor your results in real time. Discover how Masha is democratizing TV advertising for SMBs in Mexico and join the advertising innovation that is redefining the market. Your brand deserves to be seen on the big screen!
