From creating bilingual adverts to tracking customer sign-ups via Netflix – Jenny Croswell, MD for Global TV Experts Canada shares how to advertise compliantly in the Commonwealth country.
TV advertising may seem like a slightly nostalgic pathway to reaching players, but in many countries, including the North American states, it’s still one of the best ways to get eyeballs on your product. In addition, you have the benefit of jingles, sports heroes and easily accessible humour to capture the audience.
Since 2010, however, when Netflix switched from its DVD-by-post model to the 1.0 version of its streaming service, iGaming operators have had two very different platforms on which to advertise – both traditional (linear) and streaming viewing (Connected TV or CTV) are still really popular in Canada.
While traditional TV still offers solid baseline reach across Canada, the majority of viewers, particularly the high-value younger segment, have already migrated permanently to streaming environments. In fact, according to a 2024 Media in Canada report, roughly half of Gen Z viewers (47% to 50%) now watch content exclusively on connected platforms.
Capturing this shifted audience requires what the advertising industry calls a ‘total video strategy’. Treating linear and connected TV (CTV) as isolated marketing or media-buying strategies can create glaring blind spots. Operators need to map the full media ecosystem, treating video as a single, unified pool to ensure complete coverage across broadcast and streaming channels.
In addition, Canada’s regulatory setting means that broad, untargeted campaigns really don’t perform well, and operators need to keep a sharp eye on each geo and its requirements. Ontario and Alberta remain the primary regulated markets for real-money gaming, but enforcement standards vary sharply across provincial borders.
Dealing with compliance-related hurdles requires proactive, early-stage intervention, such as testing creative boundaries early in the pipeline, and direct collaboration with clearance bodies like ThinkTV. What these steps do is help avoid wasting money on creative that won’t work, and ensure that any compliance hold-ups are avoided.
Is it really still CTV vs linear TV?
The lack of a single, unified cross-platform measurement model is still a common operational headache. However, waiting for the wider industry to deliver a perfect, uniform metric means money going out the door. Forward-thinking operators are already deploying internal measurement methods to track cross-channel performance directly.
A multi-layered measurement framework allows full accountability across the funnel. Pre-campaign planning tools analyse incremental audience reach to fine-tune budget allocation before launch.
On the execution side, direct platform analytics can evaluate linear impact, while CTV performance is measured through geographic uplift modelling, retargeting sequences, and interactive mechanics like QR codes.
Crucially, tying all measurements back to core commercial metrics, such as first-time depositors, means that media spend directly drives business outcomes – rather than secondary figures such as impressions.
Converting passive viewers into active players means thinking creatively instead of falling back on generic creative templates. Video campaigns should be tailored specifically to an operator’s market-entry stage, existing brand awareness, and primary commercial goals.
A challenger brand launching in a new territory, for example, requires a fundamentally different creative approach than an established operator defending market share.
Campaign scheduling should also capitalise on important moments in the calendar, such as major sports calendars and high-intent promotional windows. Aligning message density and channel mix with these key events maximises impact across brand-building and direct-response objectives.
As with many geos, Canada’s regional differences make one-size-fits-all national campaigns a poor marketing tool. Quebec is a prime example: as an unregulated real-money market, it requires campaigns that focus exclusively on free-to-play .net or .fun models. Cultural nuance is just as essential — Québécois audiences quickly spot direct English translations, making native French creative produced specifically for the market essential.
CTV gives operators a distinct, accurate targeting advantage over traditional broadcast. Granular geo-targeting allows brands to serve province-specific creative, adapt offer structures, and stay compliant without adding operational friction.
CTV is a performance-driven advertising method
As traditional digital channels encounter rising costs and diminishing returns, CTV supplies a scalable, cost-effective acquisition engine. When direct response channels plateau, CTV delivers the additional volume needed to sustain user acquisition.
Performance data emphasises CTV’s value in driving conversions. Controlled geo-testing that extended linear TV campaigns into CTV generated an 84% increase in FTDs alongside a modest 9% change in cost-per-FTD. This shows how CTV can drive high-efficiency performance, going well beyond customary top-of-funnel awareness.
The future of CTV in Canada relies on moving away from fragmented media buying. Counting only on unmanaged programmatic inventory exposes brands to ad fraud risks as well as missing opportunities to coordinate reach across expanded linear broadcasting.
To achieve maximum impact, integrate CTV and linear into a single, coherent strategy. Operators who look past isolated programmatic tactics in favour of a unified media model will maximise audience reach, improve acquisition efficiency, and build a lasting market lead in the Canadian market.
