The key tips when choosing a CTV Consent Management Platform

As the Connected TV (CTV) ecosystem continues to evolve, stakeholders must consider multiple factors when trying to answer the question of how to find a CTV CMP and choosing and implementing a consent management solution for CTV and OTT. This blog guides you through the top tips to ensure you choose an effective and compliant CTV consent management platform (CMP).

1. CTV Consent User Experience and Interface Design

The unique viewing environment of CTV, OTT or HbbTV, presents specific challenges for user interface design. Unlike mobile or desktop experiences, CTV interfaces must be designed for viewing from a distance and navigation via remote control. This necessitates a focus on visibility and legibility, with consent messages presented in large, clear fonts and high-contrast colors to ensure readability across various TV screen sizes and resolutions.

Navigation simplicity is paramount in the CTV environment. Interfaces should be designed with intuitive button mapping that can be navigated using a remote control. It’s crucial to minimize the number of steps required to make consent choices, reducing potential friction in the user experience.

Equally important is the need to minimize disruption to the viewing experience. Consent prompts should be integrated. Consider using overlays or side panels that don’t completely interrupt the viewer’s engagement. The language used in these prompts should be clear and concise.

2. CTV CMP Technical Implementation Challenges

The technical landscape of CTV presents unique challenges for marketers, privacy or product teams working on CTV consent management. Device fragmentation is a primary concern, with a wide array of CTV devices including smart TVs, streaming boxes, and gaming consoles. Consent management solutions must be developed to work seamlessly across this diverse ecosystem, ensuring compatibility with platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and many more devices, consoles and platforms.

Many CTV devices have limited processing power compared to modern smartphones or computers. This necessitates the optimization of consent management interfaces to run smoothly on varying devices. Efficient code and streamlined processes are essential to maintain responsiveness and avoid frustrating delays for viewers.

Consent management platforms must be designed to work harmoniously with content delivery and ad serving systems already in place. This includes ensuring compatibility with industry standards like HbbTV.

Real-time consent signaling is vital in the fast-paced world of programmatic advertising. Systems must be implemented that can communicate consent choices instantaneously to all relevant parties in the ad delivery chain, ensuring that user preferences are respected.

3. Balancing CTV Compliance with Viewer Engagement 

Striking the right balance between regulatory compliance with GDPR or using the IAB TCF framework and maintaining viewer engagement is a delicate but crucial task in CTV and OTT consent management. Contextual consent collection plays a significant role in this balance. Timing consent requests appropriately, such as during app installation or first use, can minimize disruption to the viewing experience. 

Offering granular consent options allows viewers to have more control, potentially increasing trust and engagement. By providing the ability to consent to or withhold permission for specific data uses, platforms can meet compliance requirements while respecting user preferences.

Viewers should understand the benefits they receive, such as personalized content recommendations or more relevant advertising, in exchange for their consent. This transparency can encourage informed decision-making and potentially increase willingness to share data.

Accessibility in consent management is crucial for maintaining viewer satisfaction. Platforms should provide easy ways for viewers to review and modify their consent choices, without significant interruption to their viewing experience. 

Continuous improvement through A/B testing of different consent UI designs and messaging can help optimize. By analyzing user interactions with various consent interfaces, platforms can refine their approaches to better serve both regulatory requirements and viewer preferences.

Sourcepoint is one of only four consent management platform’s certified as a CMP for CTV by Google. We help publishers and media companies with managing their consent on CTV every day. 

Sourcepoint is one of only four Google certified CMPs for CTV. Watch this on demand webinar from Google and Sourcepoint to gain critical CTV consent and privacy insights.

Watch the on-demand webinar to learn:

• How to assure your CTV ads continue to be served

• What happens if you don’t implement IAB TCF and Google Consent Mode with a Google certified CMP?

• Best practices for collecting consent on CTV environments

4. Data Collection and Usage in CTV

Understanding and clearly communicating data collection and usage in a CTV platform is crucial for effective consent management. The types of data collected in CTV data privacy contexts can be diverse, including viewing habits, ad interactions, and device information. Platforms must clearly define and communicate these data types to viewers. 

Data-linking across devices:

In today’s multi-device world, cross-device data linking is increasingly common. If CTV data might be linked with data from other devices or platforms, this should be explicitly explained, and appropriate consent obtained for such practices. This transparency is key to building trust with viewers and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. 

Data Minimization:

Data minimization principles should be at the forefront of CTV data collection strategies. Implementing practices to collect only necessary data not only aligns with privacy regulations but also demonstrates respect for viewer privacy. 

Data Retention:

Clear data retention policies are essential for CTV and OTT consent management. Platforms should establish and communicate how long data will be kept and the processes for data deletion. 

Third-party data: 

Third-party data sharing practices on connected TV, must be clearly disclosed, and specific consent obtained when required. Given the complex ecosystem of CTV advertising, with multiple stakeholders often involved, clarity in how data moves through the system is crucial for maintaining viewer trust and regulatory compliance.

Identification:

Differentiating between anonymous and personally identifiable information in consent requests and CTV data handling practices can provide viewers with a clearer understanding of the privacy implications of their choices. This distinction can be particularly important in the CTV context, where household-level and individual-level data may be collected and used differently.

By carefully considering these key aspects of CTV consent management; user experience and interface, technical landscape considerations, compliance and viewing balance, and data collection, stakeholders can answer the question how to find a CTV CMP and choose and implement an effective CTV CMP solution. 

Platforms like Sourcepoint’s CMP for CTV are designed with considerations like the user consent experience, compatibility with various CTV devices, compliance with regulations like GDPR and frameworks like IAB TCF, the viewer’s experience and data privacy, in mind, offering you and your business the best CMP solution for the unique challenges of the CTV ecosystem.