Changing Perceptions in CTV Advertising: Insights from Premion’s Blake Hebert

CTV advertising may come with its share of acronyms and moving parts, but about 70% of advertisers say they plan to increase their investment in it, according to the latest industry survey from Premion. Blake Hebert, Premion’s Sr Dir. of Publisher Operations, isn’t surprised by that momentum. But he also knows marketers still face challenges like complexity. In Ep. 49, he talks about where the medium stands today—and how Premion is helping simplify the path for local and mid-market advertisers.

Blake, who just welcomed baby #2, returned to work to help introduce Premion’s baby #4 — that latest CTV survey done with Advertiser Perceptions. And no one’s crying about this one: only 1% of respondents said they expect to decrease their CTV budgets.  With a rare perspective from being hands on across the buy side and sell side, from agency life at RPA to roles at Hulu and SpotX/Magnite, Blake now has a front-row seat to what’s coming from publishers and platforms. He shares those insights back with internal teams and advertisers to make the CTV landscape easier to navigate. And with us in this conversation.

What advertisers are learning, and what Blake explains particularly well, is that success in CTV isn’t just about shifting dollars into streaming. It’s about understanding how consumers actually watch content today. He was spot on:

“Consumers don’t decide to watch linear or stream; they just watch…. And they’re not just in one place. I’ll watch Amazon Prime and then flip back over to my Hulu app.”

So, advertisers have to be spot on everywhere, too, which is exactly why marketers are increasingly planning around “total TV” or converged video strategies instead of separating traditional television and streaming into different buckets.

Of course, this new world can feel like a maze. Fragmentation, walled gardens, and measurement challenges are still very real issues. Blake walks us through how platforms like Premion try to simplify that complexity by aggregating inventory across multiple streaming partners and layering in data that helps advertisers reach audiences efficiently. They’re especially focused on supporting local and mid-market advertisers who can now enjoy similar strategies and tactics as the big holding company agencies.

Another takeaway is about targeting. In digital advertising, the instinct is often to target audiences down to the smallest possible segment. But Blake makes the case that hyper-targeting can sometimes backfire, or just lose some efficiency, especially in smaller geographic markets.

His advice? Balance precision with scale. If you pile on too many audience filters, you may end up shrinking your available audience more than you intended.

We also spend time talking about a topic that seems unavoidable in every media conversation right now: AI. Blake’s view is pragmatic and optimistic, particularly for local advertisers who may not have access to large creative or analytics teams. So, he says:

“The sooner you can embrace it and understand how to use it as a tool, the better you’ll be in the long run.”

In fact, he sees #AI helping smaller businesses build creative, optimize campaigns, and generate insights in ways that used to require a lot more resources. But, like taking on CTV, the world has changed!

We also touch on a few trends that may shape the next phase of CTV advertising, like the growing importance of live sports in streaming environments to new opportunities emerging around gaming and smart TV engagement.

The good news for me? Blake called in from his hometown of Austin, which is the home of SXSW. 

Pair that with his work as president of the local Austin chapter of the American Advertising Federation and I may be very well connected for the GSD&M party and more! I know people who know people. And now we all know a little more about CTV.

To keep up with the fast-changing world of TV advertising, get the insider scoop in 30 minutes flat on what’s working in CTV right now and how Premion’s putting it to work. Key Moments 0:00 Changing Perceptions in CTV Advertising: Episode overview
0:41 Buy side to sell side: why Blake’s perspective on CTV is different
2:00 Premion’s edge: simplifying CTV for local advertisers
3:44 The headline stat: 70% growing CTV budgets — only 1% cutting
5:23 Why “linear vs. streaming” is the wrong question
7:26 Curation explained: smarter than the old ad-network model
12:02 Walled gardens don’t contain consumers — and that matters
15:00 AI as an equalizer for under-resourced local advertisers
18:00 The targeting trap: how over-targeting shrinks your audience
21:02 Live sports and more new opportunities
26:09 AAF Austin Shoutout Connect with Blake Hebert and Premion

Download the Advertiser Perceptions 2026 Survey

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