José Romero of CTVBridge: “We Created A Solution That Bridges The Gap Between Mobile-Device Engagement And Connected TV App Launches”

José Romero, who spent 20 years working for media and entertainment companies such as Sling TV and Tegna, founded CTVBridge to address a challenge he encountered throughout his career—one that, he says, no company was offering a solution for: connecting engagement on mobile devices with verified launches of connected TV apps.

Romero explains to PRODU that as marketing has expanded across mobile devices, connected TV (CTV), social media, the web and retail media, it has become very difficult to determine what actually prompted a person to open a connected TV app.

“What we created is an SDK (Software Development Kit), software that connects the TV with the phone. What happens is that when a person says, ‘Yes, I want to download the app’ or ‘I want to watch the content,’ the system scans the home Wi-Fi network and recognizes that there is a Roku or a Fire TV. It asks the person if they want to watch it on the TV, and if they agree, it turns on the TV and takes them directly to the app. Or, if they don’t have the app, it takes them to the app store so they can simply say, ‘Okay,’ use the remote control and download the app onto the TV.

“We created that bridge, which now allows me—if I’m Netflix and I ran an ad on Instagram—to know which creative worked. Nobody knows that today. I used to drive myself crazy trying to figure out, ‘What worked on social media? What worked with the QR code the person had? What worked with the symbols we sent?’ There’s no way to know because those things aren’t connected today,” Romero told PRODU.

SOLUTION FOR STREAMING APP OWNERS

In short, CTVBridge is a multi-device solution that connects mobile engagement with verified app launches on Connected TV, helping identify which channels, campaigns and creatives drive audience growth.

Romero clarifies that CTVBridge’s potential customers are streaming app owners. “In other words, anything related to media and entertainment—whether it’s local channels, Paramount+, Netflix, Sling TV. Anything that has to do with the media and entertainment industry. That’s our target market for now. We plan to expand into other target markets in the future,” he said.

He noted that the solution can operate in any market. “It works anywhere in the world. We follow all the privacy processes required by Roku or Apple. We’re not really creating something new. What we have is a connection that allows us to measure each of those touchpoints.”

Romero said CTVBridge is currently in the beta testing phase and is looking for three or four apps to participate. These companies will receive a special rate “so they can work with us and help us conduct all the real-world testing, fine-tune the process and contribute hard data. Within three months, we’ll be able to identify the benefits and determine what improvements we need to make.”

According to Romero, the main benefits of CTVBridge for streaming app owners using the service are:

-Optimize media buying to achieve better results and generate more revenue. “This will help you know who is actually going to the app,” he said.

-Simplify the process for customers.

-Identify what is actually working in terms of campaigns and promotions delivered through mobile devices.