Why Content Signals Matter in CTV Advertising

A few months ago, a regional advertiser ran a Connected TV (CTV) campaign across multiple platforms in the MENA region. One of their top-performing placements, they believed, was an Arabic drama series tagged as “Premium Family Content.” But after a closer audit, they realized something surprising: that same show had been labeled “Soap Opera,” “Middle Eastern Adult Series,” and even “Drama-AR” on other platforms.

Each label came from a different publisher. Each told a slightly different story. And each influenced how the brand was matched to its audience.

It wasn’t a crisis—but it was a warning.

If content isn’t consistently understood across the ecosystem, advertisers can’t make fully informed decisions. That single drama became a symbol of a larger problem: MENA’s CTV landscape is expanding fast, but it’s growing without a common language.

Why CTV in MENA Needs to Speak the Same Language

The rise of CTV in MENA is real. Audiences are shifting from traditional TV to digital streaming, giving advertisers access to engaged, premium viewers. But content discovery is messy.

Platforms, publishers, and DSPs all tag content differently. That might not seem like a big deal, until you realize how it affects everything from targeting to brand safety.

Imagine launching a culturally sensitive campaign during Ramadan, only to find your ads placed next to unrelated or inappropriate content because the platform didn’t understand the context. Without clear, standardized labels, this happens more often than you’d think.

The Real Cost of Inconsistent Signals

In a region where content comes in many languages—Arabic, English, Hindi, Tagalog, Urdu—standardization isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a necessity for scale, relevance, and trust.

Some  MENA advertisers cite lack of content transparency as their top reason for hesitating to invest more in CTV. They want to know what kind of shows or formats their ads appear alongside. Without that, confidence drops—and so does spending.

What SSPs Can Do

This is where Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) come in. Positioned between content creators and buyers, SSPs can clean up the confusion.

Here’s how:

• Signal Normalization: Convert mixed-up tags into clear, consistent categories
• Content Enhancement: Add metadata like genre, language, and age rating to every bid
• Platform Consistency: Ensure one piece of content is always labeled the same way, everywhere

What Makes MENA Different

Global taxonomies often miss the mark here. MENA has unique content types—Khaleeji dramas, Ramadan specials, pan-Arab news shows—that don’t fit neatly into western labels.

Then there’s language. Not just Arabic versus English, but dialects and cultural tone. A comedy in Egypt might be misread in the Gulf. A family-friendly show in Lebanon might be rated differently in Saudi Arabia.

This complexity calls for a new kind of system: one that respects cultural nuance while creating clarity for advertisers.

Giving Publishers Control

Publishers have a good reason to be cautious. Their content signals are valuable, and over-sharing could mean exposing strategies or breaching local privacy laws.

The solution? Smarter control tools.

• Share only the data you’re comfortable with
• Set different signal rules for different campaigns
• Offer transparency where it adds value, and price accordingly

This builds trust, improves outcomes, and keeps control in the right hands.

Collaboration, Not Isolation

Creating a shared taxonomy for MENA isn’t something one company can solve alone. It takes everyone: publishers, tech platforms, media buyers.

Together, we can build:

• Regional genre definitions
• Culturally sensitive rating systems
• Consistent language and dialect tags
• Smarter metadata frameworks

The goal is clear: better understanding leads to better targeting and better results.

Don’t Let Signals Get Lost in Translation

The future of Connected TV in MENA will depend on how well we define it today. If content keeps being misclassified, advertisers will keep holding back. But if we standardize, organize, and collaborate—we’ll unlock massive potential.

This isn’t just about tech. It’s about storytelling, culture, and relevance. Let’s make sure every piece of content speaks clearly, no matter who’s watching or who’s advertising.