On 17 September 2025, participants at the Audience & Advertising Summit 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa (organised by this platform) explored how best to “Take Advantage of the CTV/OTT Advertising Opportunities in a Streaming World,”.
The discussion featured Elouise Kelly, Country Manager at Viu South Africa, Casey Mantle, Head of Digital at Special Effect Media, Amore Loggenberg, Head of Digital at Duck&Craig and Craig Kelly, Founder and CEO of Premium Free TV. Collectively, they provided diverse perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of aligning advertising with Africa’s rapidly changing viewing patterns.
The panellists agreed that African audiences are increasingly consuming content through internet-enabled platforms, thanks to the rapid growth of broadband, lower data costs, and more affordable smart devices. Importantly, many consumers are opting for ad-supported models, making CTV and OTT prime avenues for advertisers to connect with audiences.
“CTV and OTT are no longer experimental—they’re mainstream,” said Elouise Kelly of Viu South Africa. “For Africa, the opportunity is not just to adopt global models but to build our own approaches that reflect our audiences, content, and cultures.”
The panel highlighted several compelling opportunities that CTV/OTT bring to brands and media owners:
- Targeted Campaigns: Advertisers can leverage data to deliver tailored messages to households and individuals, improving campaign efficiency.
- Incremental Reach: CTV provides a gateway to younger, digital-first audiences who are increasingly beyond the reach of traditional linear TV.
- Programmatic Flexibility: Real-time bidding and dynamic ad insertion enable more adaptive and responsive campaign management.
- Creative Innovation: Interactive ad formats and contextually relevant placements open new ways to engage viewers.
While the promise is significant, the panellists were clear about the hurdles that need to be addressed:
- Fragmentation: The proliferation of multiple platforms, devices, and standards complicates media buying and campaign measurement.
- Limited Inventory: Premium OTT inventory remains scarce in many African markets, often driving up costs.
- Measurement & Attribution: Proving ROI is difficult without unified standards, with panellists stressing the urgent need for consistent metrics.
- Trust & Transparency: Ensuring privacy, tackling ad fraud, and building advertiser confidence remain critical.
“Advertisers want certainty and accountability,” observed Casey Mantle of Special Effect Media. “Without reliable and standardised measurement, adoption will be slower than expected. The industry must push for frameworks that allow brands to see the real value OTT and CTV deliver.”
Looking to the future, the panellists emphasised the importance of piloting campaigns, building local partnerships, and treating CTV/OTT as a complement to linear and digital channels, rather than a replacement. By adopting hybrid strategies and advocating for stronger measurement standards, broadcasters and advertisers can unlock the full potential of CTV and OTT.
For Amore Loggenberg of Duck&Craig, collaboration is key: “The ecosystem is still developing, and it’s through partnerships—between platforms, advertisers, and agencies—that we’ll be able to create scalable, effective solutions for Africa’s streaming audiences.”
The session concluded with optimism that Africa is uniquely positioned to leapfrog legacy broadcast models and develop its CTV and OTT advertising solutions. With audiences embracing streaming, advertisers eager for more targeted advertising, and platforms investing in innovation, the continent stands at the cusp of a new digital broadcasting and advertising era.
