YouTube CTV Ads Now Reach 35% of US TV Households — Local Campaigns Available From $300

Google confirmed that YouTube is now watched on TV screens (via smart TV apps, Chromecast, and gaming consoles) by 35% of all US TV households — surpassing Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ in weekly reach among 18–49 year olds. More importantly for local businesses, YouTube CTV inventory is now accessible through standard Google Ads local campaigns with no minimum spend beyond the campaign daily budget.

Local video campaigns in Google Ads can be set to run on YouTube CTV as a placement option. The targeting uses the same signals as other Google campaigns: zip code radius, household income, interests, and remarketing audiences. A fitness studio can show a 15-second non-skippable ad to households within 5 miles that have previously searched "gym near me" or watched fitness content.

Cost benchmarks for YouTube CTV local campaigns: CPM typically runs $12–$22 for local targeting, significantly cheaper than Hulu or Roku. The frequency cap (how many times one household sees your ad) should be set to 3–5 per week for local campaigns — enough for brand recall without fatigue. Google's own data shows that combining CTV with Search ads increases Search conversion rates by 15–20% due to brand familiarity.