Marketer’s Guide to CTV Video Ad Specs & Formats (2024)

by The MNTN Team

8 Min Read

For the growing landscape of Connected TV (CTV) advertising, 2024 is poised to be its biggest year yet.

By the end of 2022, 60% of Americans were already using CTV platforms regularly; today, that figure has climbed to 84.9%. With the unmistakable rise of CTV, your TV ads have the potential to shine on the screens of living rooms around the world.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the ins and outs of Connected TV specs so you can make sure your ads reach the right audience.

Hulu

With a huge content library and instant access to major network shows, Hulu — one of the original platforms of the streaming revolution — continues to stand out in the industry.

Here is everything you need to know to make your next ad Hulu-ready:

Hulu Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: All files must be in 16:9
Max file size: 10 GB Max
Video length: 15 seconds – 30 seconds
Frame rate: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 fps
Bitrate: 10 Mbps – 40 Mbps
File type: QuickTime, MOV, or MPEG-4

Creative Tips for Hulu Advertising

In addition to adhering to the above CTV specifications, ensure that you start strong and grab the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds, either by delivering your value proposition right away or by using eye-catching graphics. Highlight your brand at the beginning and end of the ad, and pair on-screen text with dialogue or a strong voiceover to reinforce your message.

Read our step-by-step guide on Hulu advertising

Roku

With its large audience and presence as a staple in many modern home entertainment centers, Roku is perfect for personalized and impactful ad placements. The CTV video specs for Roku are as follows:

Roku Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 4:3 (400 x 300, 1920 x 1080)
File size: 25-100 MB
Video length: 15, 30, or 60 seconds
File type: .mp4

Creative Tips for Roku Advertising

Ensure your brand is mentioned within the first three seconds of the video asset to ensure your audience knows what they are watching. Also be sure to include a call-to-action throughout the creative.

Tubi

Tubi’s free content model and tailored recommendations make it a go-to platform for CTV advertisers. You, too, can reach vast audiences, so long as you stick to the service’s video ad specs, detailed below:

Tubi Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9
Minimum resolution: 1920 x 1080 is recommended
Max file size: 135 MB
Video length: 6, 15, or 30 seconds (45- and 60-second spots by approval only)
Frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97p, 50i, 59.94i fps.
Bitrate: 25 mbps
File type: .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg, .mxf

Creative Tips for Tubi Advertising

Regardless of your ad’s length, tell a compelling story and support it with strong visuals and sound design.

Peacock

Peacock stands out for its combination of live sports coverage and a mix of both nostalgic and new NBC content. With such a diversified user base, advertising on the platform is undoubtedly worthwhile.

Peacock Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9
Max file size: 10GB
Video length: 6, 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds
Frame rate: 23.98, 25, or 29.97 (based on native frame rate)
Bitrate: Greater than 15 Mbps
File type: Video Ad-ID required (.mov and .mp4 also accepted)

Creative Tips for Peacock Advertising

You must register for an Ad-ID to showcase your brand on Peacock. Also, make sure to use the platform’s ad rotation feature to avoid boring your audience and causing ad fatigue.

Read our step-by-step guide on Peacock advertising

Amazon Fire TV

With its Fire TV platform, Amazon has a strong global reach, making it excellent for brands looking to reach audiences domestically and abroad. To connect with your audience, you’ll need to adhere to these CTV specs:

Amazon Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9
Max file size: 500MB
Video length: 15 or 30 seconds
Frame rate: 23.976 (recommended), 24, 25, or 29.97
Bitrate: 8 MBps recommended
File type: Video: H.264, MPEG-2, or MPEG-4

Creative Tips for Amazon Advertising

Use data to inform your content and make it feel custom-made for your target viewers while delivering a clear value proposition to demonstrate why your brand stands out.

Sling

Sling blends live TV broadcasts with streaming content. As such, it caters to traditionalists and binge-watchers alike and makes for a solid platform to host your CTV ads.

Sling Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9 (1920 x 1080)
Max file size: 300 MB
Video length: 15, 30, or 60 seconds
Minimum bit rate: 20 Mbps
Frame rate: 23.98, 29.97 (same as source)

Creative Tips for Sling Advertising

Show off what makes your brand unique, but remember that co-viewing is common on Sling. As such, you must deliver ads that appeal to your target audience without alienating any other family members who might be in the room.

Netflix

Netflix’s relatively new ad-supported tiers, launched in late 2022, mark a huge shift for the platform, which remained ad-free for 15 years. That said, they’ve opened a new frontier for video advertisers, whether they’re new to CTV advertising or need to freshen up their ad channels.

Netflix Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9
Video length: 15 or 30 seconds (except Spain, where videos are 20 seconds)
Frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30
Bitrate: For H.264, greater than 8Mbps for 720p & 12Mbps for 1080p. For MOV, greater than 42Mbps for 720p & 80Mbps for 1080p.
File type: .mov, .mp4

Creative Tips for Netflix Advertising

As Netflix prides itself on quality and is new to the CTV advertising fold, it will likely be very selective about what ads it approves. Ensure your ads are of high quality and reflect high production values.

Paramount+

Paramount+, like Sling and Peacock, offers a mix of live-streaming options, new series, and library content from their owned networks, such as CBS.

Paramount+ Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9 (1280 x 720)
Max file size: 10GB
Video length: 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds
Frame rate: 23.98, 29.97 FPS
Bitrate: 10-40 Mbps (constant)
File type: .mov, .mp4 (preferred)

Creative Tips for Paramount+ Advertising

Be clear about what you want viewers to do after seeing your ad by using straightforward CTAs, and highlight your brand at the beginning and end of the ad.

YouTube

YouTube’s free movies and series come with ads that can reach millions of viewers. The platform also gives you plenty of control over ad placement, allowing you to be selective about where your content appears to make every view count.

YouTube Ad Formats and Video Specs for CTV

Aspect ratio: 16:9 (best quality for CTV, but they also support 4:3)
Video length: Skippable ads must be at least 12 seconds, but there is no maximum length. YouTube states video ads 3 minutes or less perform best. Non-skippable ads can be 15 or 20 seconds in length, depending on regional standards.
Frame rate: 60fps
File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .avi, or .asf

Creative Tips for YouTube Advertising

Show your proposition early on and consider on-screen talent for brand mentions to boost viewership. Also, keep your ads on the shorter side. While skippable, if your ads are brief and to the point, consumers are more likely to watch them all the way through.

Performance TV

Performance TV solutions, like MNTN, offer the flexibility and control you need to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS) and mobilize your audience. They combine the reach of television with the performance marketing tactics and tools of digital.

Performance TV Ad Formats and Video Specs

Aspect ratio: 16:9 (1920 x 1080)
Max file size: 4GB
Video length: 30 seconds max (15- and 30-second slots)
Frame rate: 23.98, 25, 29.97 FPS (must be constant and based on native frame rate)
File type: .mp4 or .mov

Creative Tips for Performance TV Advertising

Once you get to know the specs for performance TV advertising, you’ll need to adopt a few tried and true best practices. We recommend the following:

Use a strong voiceover
Focus on the first three seconds
Keep it fresh
Tell a compelling story
Keep your CTA, logo, and URL persistent

That last tip is especially important, as ads that display their CTA, logo, and URL throughout have a 112.6% higher average conversion rate, 48% higher average video view rate, and 41% lower average cost per visit.

Benefits of Using MNTN Performance TV

MNTN Performance TV is jam-packed with tools and features designed to help you get more out of your ad spending. From automated optimization to robust reporting tools, MNTN empowers your marketing team.

MNTN’s platform also makes it easy to launch your campaign. In just a few clicks, your ads start serving on the best streaming networks, and our proprietary tech will track every impression to help you gauge the impact of your ads.

Book a demo of MNTN Performance TV and put these CTV specs to work for your brand.

Connected TV Video Ad Specs: Final Thoughts

Getting to know each of the CTV ad formats and specs listed above will help you make the most of the CTV revolution as a whole, but if you want to make every ad dollar count, you’ll need the tools in place to measure your campaign’s success.

A performance marketing platform like MNTN gives you actionable insights to get more bang for your advertising buck. Advertise smarter, reach more consumers, and sprint toward your growth goals with targeted CTV ads.