The Trade Desk is reportedly building a smart TV operating system, potentially reshaping ad tech by integrating retail data with CTV viewership. We explore what this means for advertisers, publishers, and the future of CTV.
Rumors are swirling that The Trade Desk (TTD) is quietly working on a smart TV operating system. If true, this bold move could shake up the CTV market.
According to a scoop from Lowpass TTD has been secretly assembling a team, including former Roku employees, to develop this OS. They’ve been working on this project since the pandemic, and are said to go live in 2025.
So, what’s the play here? Is this about controlling CTV ad inventory? Absolutely. If this project comes to fruition, it won’t just pit TTD against CTV giants like Roku, Amazon, and Google — it will fundamentally reshape how ads are bought and sold in CTV land.
Owning the Ecosystem: More Than Just Ads
The Trade Desk’s ambitions go way beyond simply building a TV OS. This is about controlling the entire advertising infrastructure — from retail media to CTV to the open web.
It’s no secret, TTD has been digging into the $500 billion retail media pie, building partnerships with Walmart, Target, and Home Depot to leverage their goldmine of first-party data for ad targeting — while going head-to-head with rivals like Criteo and CitrusAds.
If TTD controls the smart TV OS, they won’t just be competing with Roku and Amazon; they’ll own the pipes through which ads flow, transforming themselves into the ultimate gatekeeper.
This move dovetails perfectly with TTD’s other plays. Think about how OpenPath bypasses SSPs to create a direct line between advertisers and publishers. Now imagine OpenPath combined with control of the smart TV OS — TTD wouldn’t just control ad spend, they’d dominate how the entire ecosystem operates.
A Unified Consumer Profile: The Holy Grail of Targeting
Retail media gives TTD an edge, providing crucial data for advertisers in a world where third-party cookies are phasing out.
Combining that data with CTV viewing habits opens a treasure trove of insights about consumers — from what they’re binge-watching to what’s in their shopping carts. For advertisers, that’s the holy grail of targeting. Talk about a 360-degree view of the consumer journey.
According to AdAge, TTD’s smart TV OS project is also about safeguarding data. With data signals like third-party cookies and mobile identifiers diminishing, this OS would allow the ad tech giant to create a data-rich environment, integrated with their Unified ID 2.0 identity solution.
This move is about more than just controlling ad delivery — it’s a way for TTD to hedge against future restrictions on data collection. By owning the OS, TTD would have deeper access to first-party data, including key signals like hardware addresses and IPs, making ad targeting and measurement much easier.
The Real Power Play: Controlling the Pipes
TTD’s smart TV OS could become the new middleman for CTV advertising, deciding who gets access to ad inventory and who doesn’t. By providing better-revenue-sharing deals and more flexibility for hardware manufacturers than their competitors, TTD could easily entice them to adopt their system. This could also mean attracting publishers who are frustrated with the rigid terms of existing platforms.
What makes this move even more powerful is the potential to bake Unified ID 2.0 right into the fabric of the OS<. With privacy regulations tightening, controlling the OS would position the ad tech behemoth to offer the granular targeting advertisers crave — without relying on third-party platforms like Roku or Amazon.
For Publishers: Is This a Goldmine or a Trap?
But things could get tricky for publishers. On one hand, TTD’s OS could offer more transparency and control, streamlining the process of accessing high-value inventory. TTD’s Top 100 Premium Publishers List already hints at the company’s desire to curate who is considered “premium” in ad land. If this OS follows that pattern, publishers could find themselves inside a new lucrative ecosystem — or left out in the cold.
If TTD can cut out the middlemen by building their own OS, they can offer publishers better revenue splits while controlling the data that flows through the system. This would also give them a massive competitive advantage.
The potential downside? With TTD controlling the data and distribution, the ad-buying process would be streamlined. But it could also increase publisher reliance on TTD’s ecosystem — a double-edged sword if there ever was one.
The Challenges Ahead: Not So Fast
TTD’s ambitions are grand, but their road ahead isn’t paved smoothly. The company faces stiff competition< from established players like Roku, Google, and Amazon, all of whom currently dominate the CTV market. Convincing TV manufacturers to adopt a new OS is no easy task, especially when TTD would be relatively new to this space.
Additionally, TTD’s reliance on Android AOSP (the same open-source foundation that Amazon’s Fire TV OS uses) could create conflicts with Google. In the past, Google has clashed with companies using forked versions of Android, and TTD could find itself caught in similar struggles. Technical hurdles aside, TTD has to convince consumers to adopt their platform — a significant challenge given the dominance of today’s streaming kingpins.
The Bigger Picture: TTD’s Long Game
Ultimately, TTD’s play for a smart TV OS is a bold move to integrate retail media, CTV, and open web advertising into one seamless ecosystem.
For advertisers, the appeal is clear — seamless, cross-platform targeting powered by first-party data from multiple sources allowing them to track and target consumers across every screen. This could redefine targeting as we know it.
For publishers, the opportunity to tap into TTD’s unified infrastructure could mean more revenue, but it also comes with risking over-reliance.
One thing’s for sure: The Trade Desk isn’t just building a smart TV OS — they’re building the future of digital advertising, one pipeline at a time. With each move, TTD is tightening its grip on the ad supply chain, positioning itself as the essential middleman for advertisers, publishers, and consumers.