From Households to Humans: How “Covatic Sense” Unlocks the Future of CTV Addressability

The move from “household” to “individual” CTV targeting and measurement, fundamentally transforms the CTV value proposition

Connected TV (CTV) is a fantastic advertising platform: high quality content in a trusted environment with high attention and on the best screen in the house. But it has always had a ‘blind spot’. Advertisers may know the household: the location, the subscription package, or the device ID. But we’ve never truly known who is sitting on the sofa.Until now, TV advertising has relied on a “household guess”—serving ads to the whole family when perhaps only one person is watching. And often, this will be the “wrong” person. This lack of precision is why ad spend continues to migrate to digital platforms like Google and Meta that offer individual targeting. Covatic is changing that. We are introducing Covatic Sense: a privacy-first, on-device solution that moves measurement and targeting from Households to Humans.

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Q: What does “from Households to Humans” mean?

A: It is the shift from targeting a location (the household) to targeting an individual (the viewer) as part of a cohort. “From Households to Humans” represents our vision for the future of TV advertising where brands can reach specific audiences – like a fitness enthusiast or a tech decision-maker – on the biggest screen in the house, with the same precision they expect from mobile or web advertising, but without compromising user privacy.

Q: What is “Covatic Sense”?

A: Covatic Sense is the technology that makes this vision a reality. It is a lightweight on-device software solution (SDK) that sits directly on the Set-Top Box (STB) or TV Operating System. It determines – in real-time – which family members are currently in the room and likely watching TV. It allows media buyers to target specific audience profiles rather than just targeting the device itself.

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Q: How does the technology know who is in the room without a camera or login?

A: Covatic Sense uses a smart, passive approach called Network Presence Detection. It senses which devices are currently present on the local network without ever ‘interrogating’ them.

Every modern Connected TV is connected to a local Wi-Fi network. The Covatic SDK looks at the local network’s standard connectivity to see which other devices are currently active in the home – specifically mobile phones.

Because our phones are personal to us and usually stay with us, they act as a proxy for our presence.

• Presence Detection: We detect which devices (like mobile phones) are currently present on the local network.
• Probabilistic Viewing: By analyzing historical consumption patterns alongside device presence, our on-device model learns to associate specific devices with specific viewer profiles.

Do users need to install an app on their phones?

No. This is a crucial differentiator. The solution relies on standard network signals that are already present in the home infrastructure. No additional hardware, no mobile apps, and no intrusive login screens are required.

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Q: Is this safe? Does “sniffing” the network violate privacy?

A: The solution is “Private-by-Design”. We use our expertise in on-device solutions to ensure that no personal data ever leaves the CTV device.

• The analysis happens locally on the device’s own processor (the “Edge”).
• The TV does not send a list of phones or browsing history to the cloud.
• It converts the data into simple, anonymous audience cohorts (e.g., “Auto Intender”).
• Only that anonymous segment code is sent to the ad server.

To the outside world, the data is completely anonymous. To the ad server, it is just a request for a relevant ad. The personal data stays locked inside the TV.

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Q: How is this different from existing panels (like Nielsen or BARB)?

A: Panels rely on a small sample size and extrapolate that data to guess what millions of people are doing. Covatic Sense is census-level. Because it is software that can run on millions of devices, it provides actual, granular data for every enabled household, not just a small sample. It replaces “probabilistic guessing” with “deterministic reality” at scale.

Q: Covatic Sense is an ID-less technology. Can it also function in an ID-based environment? 

A: Yes, it is fully interoperable. While our primary focus is providing a robust, privacy-first solution that does not rely on persistent identifiers, the technology is flexible. We can ingest and utilise existing IDs if a client requires them for a specific use case – provided those IDs are fully compliant with GDPR and other relevant privacy legislation. This gives you the best of both worlds: a future-proof ID-less foundation with the ability to leverage first-party data where appropriate.

Q: What does this mean for Media Buyers and Agencies?

A: It unlocks Digital-Grade Precision on TV.

• True Frequency Capping: Manage frequency at the individual level to prevent overexposure.
• Attribution: By understanding exactly who saw an ad, you can better link TV exposure to web conversions or store visits.
• Efficiency: Reduce waste by only bidding on impressions when your target audience is actually in the room.

Q: What does this mean for TV Operators and OEMs?

A: It increases the value of your inventory. By selling “Human” audiences rather than “Household” impressions, you can command higher CPMs and compete directly with the targeting capabilities of digital giants. Plus, the SDK is incredibly lightweight—it has been tested on older Set-Top Boxes and runs without affecting the user interface or speed.

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Q: Is this available now?

A: Yes. The technology is built, tested, and live. Independent evaluations have verified the accuracy of our presence detection, and legal assessments confirm its compliance. We are currently rolling out with major launch partners.