Connected TV (CTV) ad fraud has increased 140% globally in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, driven by AI-powered schemes that enable more sophisticated and scalable attacks, according to DoubleVerify’s 2026 Global Insights report, Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance [DoubleVerify Inc.]. The report is based on proprietary measurement data from billions of impressions across DV-protected and unprotected campaigns, as well as surveys of over 2,000 marketers and 22,000 consumers in more than 20 markets.
What the data shows
DoubleVerify detected a 140% rise in CTV fraud schemes and variants in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025. In 2025 alone, the company identified over 50 distinct CTV bot attacks and variants. Fraudulent CTV apps grew tenfold from 2024 to 2025. In unprotected campaigns, fraud costs advertisers approximately $1.8 million per billion CTV impressions served. Given the volume of CTV impressions delivered annually—numbering in the trillions—these losses represent a significant financial drain.
Regional fraud patterns differ significantly. In North America, 82% of CTV fraud violations were attributed to bot activity, which uses software to mimic real user behavior. In contrast, data center fraud—traffic generated from centralized servers—dominated in APAC (98%), EMEA (66%), and LATAM (91%). This indicates that fraudsters are tailoring their methods to regional infrastructure and market conditions.
Fraud in direct deals and PMPs
A key finding challenges the assumption that direct deals and private marketplaces (PMPs) are inherently safer. DoubleVerify found bot activity in multiple direct CTV buys from major global advertisers. For example, in a consumer healthcare campaign, 34% of impressions were served to bots; in a major CPG campaign, the rate was 25%—both occurring within direct inventory purchases. This demonstrates that fraud is not confined to open marketplaces and can infiltrate any part of the supply chain.
Protection effectiveness
The disparity between protected and unprotected environments is stark. In CTV campaigns using DoubleVerify’s verification controls, fraud rates were less than 1%. In unprotected campaigns, the rate approached 9%. Despite this, fewer than 21% of advertisers use invalid traffic (IVT) or fraud detection as a performance KPI. This gap suggests a lack of prioritization around fraud prevention, even though fraudulent impressions cannot contribute to campaign outcomes.
DoubleVerify launched DV Authentic Streaming TV™ in January 2026, combining verification and optimization to enable pre-bid discovery, AI-powered activation, and unified measurement across streaming TV and CTV. The platform aims to help advertisers avoid low-quality inventory and focus spending on high-performing, contextually relevant impressions.
The full report, Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance, is available via DoubleVerify’s website.
Bottom line: As AI enables more complex and adaptive CTV fraud, independent verification and proactive protection are no longer optional but essential for media efficiency and campaign performance.