Eight in ten Performance Max advertisers are receiving connected TV (CTV) impressions via YouTube, as reported by Smarter Ecoommerce’s Mike Ryan. Google has expanded the channel’s reach over the past year — and the trajectory is only accelerating.
The timeline of how we got here:
- Q2 2025: Google began serving CTV ads using standard product feed images, meaning advertisers with no video assets were suddenly generating TV impressions from their existing catalog photos
- January 2026: Google announced shoppable CTV ads — letting viewers browse products and scan QR codes to purchase directly from their TV screen, pulling directly from Google Merchant Center product feeds.
Why we care. CTV is no longer a specialist buy. If you’re running PMax, you’re almost certainly already on the big screen — and Google has been steadily upgrading what that means for commerce. Google is automatically turning your product feed images into TV ads and allocating budget to CTV impressions, with no action required on your part.
Without actively checking your channel performance breakdown, you have no visibility into where your spend is going or whether auto-generated creative is actually fit for a 65-inch screen.
What advertisers should do right now:
- Pull your Channel Performance report — Google’s native channel breakdown will show you exactly how much of your PMax spend and impressions are going to CTV. If you haven’t looked, you may be surprised.
- Audit your feed images — since Q2 2025, those product photos are being used to generate CTV ads automatically. Low-quality images that worked fine in Shopping are now appearing on 65-inch TV screens. Clean them up.
- Check if shoppable CTV applies to you — if you’re running PMax with a Merchant Center feed, your campaigns may already be eligible for shoppable CTV formats. Google reports that Demand Gen campaigns including TV screens drive 7% incremental conversions at the same ROI. Understand whether that inventory is working for you — or being wasted.
- Think about creative — feed images as CTV ads is a floor, not a ceiling. Advertisers who invest in purpose-built video assets optimized for the TV screen will outperform those relying on auto-generated formats.
The big picture: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan confirmed that TV has surpassed mobile as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. by watch time, and YouTube has been the #1 streaming platform in the U.S. for two consecutive years. PMax advertisers are already there — the question is whether they’re managing it intentionally or just along for the ride.
Dig Deeper. YouTube Viewing on TV Now Surpasses Mobile, Desktop in U.S.
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