DoubleVerify and Roku are strengthening their joint efforts to protect the rapidly growing connected television advertising ecosystem from fraud while improving confidence and performance for advertisers. DoubleVerify, a recognized leader in software that verifies media quality and proves campaign effectiveness, has been working with Roku for the past two years to address risks facing streaming environments where cybercriminals continue to target vulnerable systems. Their collaboration is already producing measurable results at a time when ad spend on streaming platforms keeps climbing.
A newly released DoubleVerify study titled Global Insights: Trends in the Modern Streaming Landscape highlights the urgent need for these efforts. The report details how criminals use increasingly sophisticated methods to exploit gaps in streaming security. It estimates that around four million compromised CTV devices are involved in generating fake traffic every day which produces a surge of invalid impressions. This level of activity can leave advertisers exposed to significant financial losses. The study notes that just a single bot operation can cause more than 7.5 million dollars in wasted ad spending each month when calculated using cost per thousand impressions across the industry. These findings illustrate how critical it has become to safeguard the channel from manipulation.
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DoubleVerify and Roku began working more closely together in 2023 and have since blocked billions of fraudulent ad requests that attempted to masquerade as legitimate Roku device traffic. Their progress stands out against wider industry concerns because it shows that combined expertise and shared technology can slow the problem before budgets are compromised. One key factor behind these results has been Roku’s Advertising Watermark, a proprietary system that confirms which ads are being delivered to real Roku hardware. This validation method disrupts spoofing attempts by restricting ad display to authenticated devices.
Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said CTV will remain attractive to bad actors as long as advertisers continue investing strongly in the channel. “CTV remains one of the fastest-growing channels in digital advertising and, unfortunately, one of the most targeted by fraudsters due to high CPMs and the relative newness of the ecosystem,” said Mark Zagorski. “Our work with Roku shows how proactive, collaborative innovation can deliver real, measurable results for advertisers. And this is just the beginning by the end of 2025, DV will be rolling out new advancements designed to bring even greater trust and performance to CTV.”
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James Kelm, VP of Product, Advertising and Media at Roku, believes that the authentication watermark has become essential in protecting both marketers and viewers. “Our Advertising Watermark technology is instrumental in combating device and app spoofing,” said James Kelm. “Our partnership with DV enhances our collective capabilities to secure the TV streaming advertising ecosystem. Together, we are committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and confidence for advertisers and partners.”
The partnership has already been responsible for neutralizing major ad fraud schemes. One case known as SmokeScreen involved screensaver applications secretly generating fake CTV impressions. More recently, the companies helped dismantle CycloneBot which had produced up to 250 million deceptive ad requests every day while attempting to hide its activity through advanced techniques. These efforts underline the importance of ongoing vigilance and collaboration to protect a media environment that continues to grow in value. In addition to fraud prevention, the partnership also supports measurement across Roku’s home screen and native ad placements which helps brands reach audiences with more clarity and control.
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