Pixalate Flags Rising CTV Ad Fraud in U.S. as IVT Rate Hits 19%

Event summary

  • Pixalate's Q4 2025 report shows 19% IVT rate in U.S. CTV advertising, higher than Canada's 16%.
  • Global CTV IVT rate stood at 21%, with mobile apps at 36% and web traffic at 23%.
  • Analysis based on 103 billion programmatic advertising impressions in Q4 2025.
  • Pixalate's data focuses on buy-side open auction programmatic traffic sources.

The big picture

Pixalate's findings highlight the growing challenge of ad fraud in digital advertising, particularly in the rapidly expanding CTV sector. As programmatic spending increases, so does the risk of invalid traffic, necessitating stronger fraud detection and prevention measures. The report underscores the need for industry-wide collaboration to maintain ad integrity and protect advertiser investments.

What we're watching

Fraud Mitigation
How rising CTV IVT rates will impact ad spend allocation and fraud prevention strategies.
Regulatory Scrutiny
Whether increased ad fraud will prompt stricter regulations for programmatic advertising.
Market Shifts
The pace at which advertisers pivot from high-IVT channels to more secure alternatives.