Why Upfronts Are Fading — And Continuous CTV Programmatic Wins
For decades, television advertising followed a predictable rhythm. Each year, networks and agencies gathered for the upfronts, where budgets were locked months in advance and inventory was parceled out like scarce commodities. This system worked when television was linear, with limited programming and fixed schedules. But in the connected TV era, the idea that you can plan a year’s worth of advertising in a single window already feels like a relic.
Audiences don’t watch this way anymore. They stream on their own time, across endless platforms, and with habits that shift constantly. Inventory is no longer scarce; it’s dynamic, available everywhere and always changing. In this new environment, the old upfront window looks less like a strategic anchor and more like a limitation.
If you want to see how upfronts themselves are evolving into a year-round marketplace, check out our earlier article: Why CTV Upfronts Are Becoming a Year-Round Marketplace.
But here, we go one step further: why the real opportunity lies not just in extending the buying window — but in unlocking continuous value from CTV programmatic advertising.
Why Continuous Value Matters
The upfronts were built on scarcity. They assumed limited programming and inventory that had to be secured far in advance. But CTV is built on abundance. There are countless shows, apps, and platforms. Audiences are fragmented across devices, from the living room screen to mobile phones and tablets.
In such a landscape, static deals don’t make sense. Advertisers want freedom, not fixed commitments. They want to react in the moment, scaling investment when something is working and pulling back when it’s not. Continuous value in CTV means campaigns are no longer confined to a buying season; they live and breathe with the audience, adjusting dynamically as viewing patterns and creative performance evolve.
This shift isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about relevance. Brands that operate year-round can speak to audiences in the moment, not six months after a deal was signed. That immediacy is the true advantage of programmatic CTV advertising.
From fixed Upfronts to flexible, data-driven CTV campaigns.
From Cycles to Continuity
In the past, a television campaign was like a long, heavy train: powerful, but nearly impossible to change direction once it left the station. Connected TV has turned those trains into agile, high-speed vehicles that can shift instantly.
Advertisers no longer need to accept waste as a cost of doing business. If an ad format captures attention, budgets can flow toward it immediately. If an audience segment responds more strongly than expected, targeting can adapt without delay. Campaigns are no longer blunt pushes tied to calendar cycles — they are fluid, continuous experiences designed to reflect how people actually watch and interact with content.
This is the real difference between upfronts and continuous programmatic value in CTV. It’s not about buying a block of impressions. It’s about maintaining an always-on presence that can flex and evolve as the environment shifts.
Forgettable banners vs high-impact immersive CTV formats.
Why Creative Quality Defines Performance
Buying smarter is only part of the equation. To truly unlock continuous value, the creative itself must rise to the occasion. The television screen is the most powerful storytelling canvas in the household, yet too often advertisers repurpose digital assets that weren’t designed for it.
At Screencore, we’ve seen firsthand how immersive CTV formats transform outcomes. When an ad feels like part of the screen experience rather than an interruption, audiences don’t just notice it — they remember it. And in a fragmented media landscape, that memory is the currency that drives real performance.
This is why we place visually striking, immersive formats at the center of our marketplace. CTV advertising should be more than impressions; it should be unforgettable moments that connect brand and viewer in ways no other channel can.
Privacy and Trust at the Core
Continuous presence is only valuable if it is built on trust. As third-party cookies vanish and privacy regulations tighten, advertisers need more than scale — they need solutions that respect consumer rights while still delivering measurable performance.
Screencore was designed for this future. Our infrastructure combines OpenRTB standards with Prebid Server-Side execution to provide transparent, trusted buying. Direct SDK integrations with publishers guarantee premium placements and brand safety, while cookieless targeting ensures campaigns remain effective without compromising privacy.
This balance of performance and protection is what gives advertisers confidence and publishers stronger yields. In our view, privacy isn’t a constraint on CTV programmatic advertising — it’s the foundation for long-term growth.
The Screencore Advantage
What makes Screencore different is that we don’t see connected TV as just another channel. We see it as the screen — the most powerful medium advertisers have, and one that demands more than recycled strategies.
Our approach to continuous programmatic value in CTV blends three elements that work together seamlessly. Immersive formats transform campaigns into part of the screen itself, ensuring brands are not only seen but remembered. Omnichannel reach keeps the brand story flowing across CTV, mobile, web, OTT, and audio. And a privacy-first infrastructure delivers clean supply paths, transparent measurement, and future-proof integrations built for the cookieless era.
The result is not a series of disconnected campaigns, but a system that is always on, always optimizing, and always designed to drive impact. Advertisers gain campaigns that adapt to the moment. Publishers gain stronger monetization without compromising user trust. Together, they create the kind of advertising environment the upfronts were never built to deliver.
With Screencore, CTV advertising becomes more than a placement strategy. It becomes a continuous growth engine — one that runs on immersion, intelligence, and trust.
Leaky Upfronts vs transparent, privacy-safe CTV value.
Looking Ahead
The upfront window won’t vanish overnight, but its dominance is fading fast. What’s replacing it is a more agile, more accountable, and more performance-driven model that reflects how people actually consume media today. Advertisers that cling to rigid cycles risk being left behind. Those who embrace continuous programmatic CTV will enjoy greater efficiency, stronger trust, and the ability to connect with audiences at exactly the right moment.
At Screencore, we’re building for that future. We believe the most valuable campaigns are not the ones tied to a buying season, but the ones that run continuously — immersive, respectful, and memorable. That’s the promise of continuous programmatic value in CTV. And with Screencore, it’s a promise you can deliver.
Don’t wait for a window. Own the screen. With Screencore, your campaigns never switch off. They run continuously, they perform dynamically, and they leave an impression that lasts. Talk to our team today.
