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What Is Account-Based Television?

B2B marketers have account-based everything. Except the highest-attention channel in the household.

Account-Based Television Defined

Account-Based Television is a category of Connected TV advertising that applies account-level targeting to premium streaming inventory. Instead of reaching broad demographics, it delivers full-screen, sound-on TV ads to the households of decision-makers at your target accounts on platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and ESPN.

Traditional CTV was built for consumer brands selling to mass audiences. Account-Based Television was built for B2B teams selling to specific companies.

Why This Category Exists

CTV Was Built for Consumer Brands. B2B Got Left Out.

CTV is the fastest-growing channel in digital advertising: 95% completion rates, full screen, sound on. But the buying platforms were built for consumer brands. If you wanted to reach "adults 25-54 in the Dallas metro," you had options. If you wanted to reach "VPs of Finance at your 500 target accounts," you had none.

The targeting was wrong. The inventory was opaque. The reporting showed impressions with no connection to accounts or pipeline.

The Missing Layer

Every Channel in Your ABM Stack Is Account-Based. Except One.

B2B marketing teams have spent years building account-based programs across every channel they can target. Here is what that stack looks like today:

Email

Personalized sequences to contacts at target accounts

Display & Retargeting

Ads served to IP ranges and cookie pools at target companies

LinkedIn Ads

Sponsored content targeted by company name and title

Direct Mail

Physical mailers sent to contacts at named accounts

Intent Data

Signals showing which accounts are actively researching

Connected TV

The highest-attention channel, with no account-level targeting. Until now.

Account-Based Television fills the last gap. It brings the same account-level targeting logic B2B marketers already use across email, display, and LinkedIn to premium Connected TV.

Side-by-Side

Traditional CTV vs. Account-Based Television

Traditional CTV platforms were designed for consumer reach. Here is how Account-Based Television differs across every dimension that matters to B2B.

Targeting
Traditional CTV

Age, gender, geography, interest segments

Account-Based Television

Named accounts, firmographics, job title

Data Source
Traditional CTV

Third-party audience segments from data brokers

Account-Based Television

Your CRM list, CSV upload, or firmographic criteria you define

Inventory
Traditional CTV

Open exchange, long-tail apps, FAST channels

Account-Based Television

Premium publishers: Hulu, Peacock, ESPN, Disney+, and more

Buying Model
Traditional CTV

Self-serve DSP with a steep learning curve

Account-Based Television

Managed service. Bring your accounts and creative, we handle the rest

Reporting
Traditional CTV

Impressions, CPM, frequency by geo or demo

Account-Based Television

Which accounts were reached, how often, and what happened next

Optimization
Traditional CTV

You manage bids, pacing, and frequency caps

Account-Based Television

SpotlightIQ handles pacing, frequency, and account-level delivery

Who It's For

Built for B2B Marketing Teams

Account-Based Television is not a fit for every advertiser. It was designed for B2B marketers who sell to a defined set of companies and want the highest-attention channel working alongside their existing programs.

01

B2B Demand Gen Teams

You run multi-channel campaigns and need to add a high-attention channel that targets the same accounts as the rest of your stack. Account-Based Television fits into your existing workflow without a new platform to manage.

02

ABM Practitioners

You already target named accounts across email, display, and LinkedIn. CTV is the one channel missing from that motion. ABT fills the gap with the same account-level targeting logic, applied to premium streaming.

03

Marketing Leaders Evaluating CTV

You have tried CTV through a current provider and struggled to prove results. The reporting showed impressions but not which accounts were reached. ABT replaces that guesswork with account-level transparency.

04

Mid-Market and Enterprise Marketers

You sell to a defined set of companies and need to stay in front of decision-makers over long buying cycles. Account-Based Television keeps your brand on the biggest screen in the household while your pipeline matures.

Getting Started

How Account-Based Television Works

The process is built to be simple. You bring two things. We handle everything else.

You bring

Your target accounts or firmographic criteria
Your 15 or 30-second creative

We handle

B2B data matching
Household-level targeting
Premium inventory
Frequency management
Campaign optimization
Account-level reporting

Account-Based Television FAQ

What is Account-Based Television?

Account-Based Television is a category of CTV advertising built for B2B marketers. It applies account-level targeting to premium streaming inventory, delivering TV ads to the households of decision-makers at your target accounts on platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and ESPN.

How is Account-Based Television different from programmatic CTV?

Programmatic CTV targets audiences by age, gender, geography, or interest. Account-Based Television targets by account. You start with a list of companies or firmographic criteria and deliver ads only to households matched to those accounts. Reporting is also account-level, so you can see which companies were reached, not just how many impressions were served.

What platforms do ads run on?

Ads run on premium, brand-safe streaming inventory including Hulu, Peacock, ESPN, Discovery+, and other top-tier publishers. No open exchanges, no made-for-advertising sites, no mobile banner backfill.

Do I need an ABM platform to use Account-Based Television?

No. You can upload a target account list from your CRM, a CSV, or build an audience using firmographic filters like industry, company size, revenue, and job title. An ABM platform is not required.

How do I measure Account-Based Television?

SpotlightIQ provides account-level reporting that shows which target accounts were reached, impression frequency by account, and downstream engagement. You can see which accounts visited your website, engaged with sales, or moved through your pipeline after being exposed to your campaign.

What does Account-Based Television cost?

Pricing varies by audience size, targeting method, and campaign duration. Most campaigns start with a monthly media investment. Talk to us to get a custom estimate based on your target account list and goals.

See If Account-Based Television Fits Your GTM

30 minutes. No commitment. We'll walk you through how Account-Based Television works and whether it fits your GTM motion.