Auto Dealers Pick Streaming TV Over Linear

Interesting fact: Local auto dealer advertising now delivers about four in five automotive CTV impressions, and those impressions grew 28% this year. The proliferation and targetability of OTT/CTV advertising streaming now empowers auto dealers and their agencies to target viewers the way only a national brand could before.

New market intelligence data from Madhive highlights a major paradigm shift in media buying: local dealers and regional dealer associations have officially taken the steering wheel from national brands in Connected TV ad placement.

Here is what is fueling this local streaming boom:

📈 Growth Across the Board
This isn’t just a big-city trend. Every market-size tier analyzed saw a massive 55% to 75% baseline expansion in local auto CTV impressions this year.

🎯 Hyper-Local Precision
By integrating data (like S&P Global’s Polk registration segments) directly into localized CTV ad buys, agencies like BAM can now deploy hyper-targeted campaigns down to the individual ZIP code. Whether it’s finding buyers with expiring leases or targeting specific vehicle class enthusiasts, local retail ads no longer suffer from the massive geographic waste of traditional broadcasting.

As automotive media consumption permanently fractures, local dealers are realizing that they don’t need a multi-million dollar national budget to run sophisticated, audience-first video campaigns. By shifting their traditional local linear budgets into CTV/OTT premium streaming, they are out-pacing national brands on the digital screen.

Is your dealership deep into CTV/OTT advertising? Are you seeing local dealerships and auto groups in your market lean heavier into CTV over linear broadcast or traditional spot cable this year? Let’s discuss in the comments.