CTV is growing up and what that looks like from a hiring perspective

For years, CTV was the format everyone was excited about and nobody had fully figured out. Measurement was fragmented, inventory was siloed, and the buying experience felt disconnected from how far programmatic display had already evolved.

That is starting to change. In 2026, CTV is maturing into a more established programmatic channel, with more consistent measurement frameworks, a larger share of inventory available programmatically, and brands gradually shifting meaningful budget away from linear TV. The infrastructure is getting built, and with it comes a different set of expectations for the teams operating it.

The hiring challenge that follows is quite specific. CTV sits at the intersection of traditional TV buying and programmatic digital, and the number of people who are genuinely comfortable in both is still limited. Many TV buyers have never had to engage with the mechanics of a DSP, while most programmatic traders have never worked with concepts like GRP or reach curves in a meaningful way. Bridging those two worlds requires a profile that is still relatively rare.

What we are seeing in practice is that companies are becoming more pragmatic about how they approach this gap. Instead of waiting for a fully formed hybrid profile, many are choosing to hire candidates who are strong on one side and invest in building the missing layer. In most cases, this leads to better outcomes than holding a role open for months while searching for a combination that may not exist in the market.

In a space that is still evolving as quickly as CTV, leaving a critical role unfilled often has a higher cost than taking a calculated bet on a profile that can grow into it.