Global Study: Fueled by AI, CTV Fraud Schemes Surge 140% Globally

Rhea-AI Summary

DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV) released its 2026 Global Insights report, Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance, on May 7, 2026. The report, based on DV measurement of billions of impressions and surveys, finds CTV fraud schemes rose 140% year-over-year in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025 and details regional and tactic differences.

Key metrics: 50+ distinct CTV bot attacks in 2025, 10x more fraudulent CTV apps in 2025 vs 2024, estimated cost of $1.8M per billion CTV impressions in unprotected campaigns, and fraud rates <1% in DV-protected vs ~9% unprotected campaigns.

Positive

• Detected fraud schemes rose 140% Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025
• Identified 50+ distinct CTV bot attacks in 2025
• Found 10x more fraudulent CTV apps in 2025 vs 2024
• Estimated cost: $1.8M per billion CTV impressions in unprotected campaigns
• DV-protected campaigns showed fraud rates <1% versus ~9% unprotected

Negative

• CTV fraud is rapidly scaling and more sophisticated due to AI
• Bot fraud dominated North America at 82% of violations
• Data center fraud dominated APAC 98%, EMEA 66%, LATAM 91%
• Direct CTV buys can contain substantial bot activity (examples: 34% and 25% impression bot rates)
• Fewer than 21% of advertisers track IVT or fraud detection as a CTV KPI

News Market Reaction – DV

-2.69%

16 alerts

-2.69% Session close to close

+6.7% Peak Tracked

-2.3% Trough Tracked

$1.71B Market Cap

0.4x Rel. Volume

In the May 7 session, DV declined 2.69%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +6.7% during that session. Argus tracked a trough of -2.3% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 16 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Market Context

This announcement underscores rapidly escalating CTV fraud, with DV detecting 140% more schemes year...

Analysis

This announcement underscores rapidly escalating CTV fraud, with DV detecting 140% more schemes year over year and noting fraud under 1% in protected campaigns versus nearly 9% in unprotected ones. It frames DV’s AI tools and Authentic Streaming TV™ offering as responses to costly fraud—estimated at $1.8 million per billion impressions. Historically, AI-tagged news has produced modest, mixed price moves, so investors may focus on how effectively these capabilities convert into revenue and adoption over time.

Key Figures

Growth in CTV fraud schemes: 140% CTV bot attacks: 50+ Fraudulent CTV apps growth: 10x +5 more

8 metrics

Growth in CTV fraud schemes 140% Increase in detected CTV fraud schemes Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025

CTV bot attacks 50+ Distinct CTV bot attacks and variants uncovered in 2025

Fraudulent CTV apps growth 10x Increase in fraudulent CTV apps in 2025 vs 2024

Fraud cost per billion impressions $1.8 million Estimated loss per billion unprotected CTV impressions

North America bot fraud share 82% Share of violations from bot fraud in North America

APAC data center traffic share 98% Share of violations from data center traffic in APAC

Fraud in DV-protected CTV <1% Fraud rate in DV-protected CTV campaigns

Fraud in unprotected CTV nearly 9% Fraud rate in unprotected CTV campaigns

Previous AI Reports

5 past events · Latest: Apr 16 (Positive)

Same Type Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	24h Move	Catalyst
Apr 16	AI tool expansion	Positive	+1.6%	Launched AI SlopStopper for Social to filter low-quality AI content.
Nov 04	AI suite launch	Positive	-0.6%	Introduced DV AI Verification suite for agent interactions and AI content.
Oct 16	AI coverage expansion	Positive	-1.4%	Extended AI-powered brand suitability measurement to Meta Threads feed.
Aug 13	AI insights report	Positive	+2.8%	Released 2025 Global Insights report on AI-driven workflow efficiencies.
Jul 31	Meta AI expansion	Positive	-1.6%	Expanded AI-powered brand suitability across Meta Feeds and Reels.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Pattern Detected

AI-tagged announcements have produced mixed reactions, with 2 aligned and 3 divergent moves and an average move of about 0.17%, indicating that AI updates have not driven consistently strong price trends.

Recent Company History

Recent AI-tagged news for DoubleVerify has focused on expanding AI-driven verification and measurement. Releases since July 2025 include broader AI-powered brand suitability on Meta properties, global insights on AI adoption, and launches of DV AI Verification™ and AI SlopStopper tools. Price reactions have been modest and mixed, with both positive and negative moves around these updates. Today’s AI-focused CTV fraud report continues that pattern of positioning DV’s AI capabilities within broader ecosystem risk trends rather than company-specific financial milestones.

Key Terms

bot fraud, data center fraud, private marketplaces (pmps), invalid traffic (ivt)

4 terms

bot fraud technical

"Bot fraud uses software to imitate real users, while data center fraud comes from centralized servers generating high volumes of non-human traffic."

Automated programs that pretend to be real users to carry out scams or manipulate online activity, such as generating fake clicks, spoofing account activity, placing bogus orders, or creating false trading signals. For investors this matters because it can inflate reported traffic, sales, or trading volume and hide true customer demand, leading to misleading financial results, bad investment decisions, unexpected losses, fines, or reputational harm — like a store full of mannequins that make the business look busier than it really is.

data center fraud technical

"Bot fraud uses software to imitate real users, while data center fraud comes from centralized servers generating high volumes of non-human traffic."

Data center fraud is any deliberate deception or misuse tied to a facility that houses computer servers — for example falsifying usage or uptime metrics, billing for nonexistent capacity, stealing equipment or diverting computing power for unauthorized purposes. For investors it matters because such schemes can hide losses, inflate revenue or create legal, regulatory and cleanup costs, similar to discovering fake inventory in a retail store: the asset is worth less and the company’s future earnings are riskier.

private marketplaces (pmps) financial

"DV’s research also challenges a common assumption in the market: that buying CTV inventory through direct deals or private marketplaces (PMPs) inherently reduces fraud."

Private marketplaces (PMPs) are invitation-only digital auctions where a publisher offers premium advertising space to a select group of buyers instead of selling broadly to the open market. Think of it as a curated farmers’ market where a seller pre-screens buyers to command higher prices, control quality, and reduce fraud. For investors, PMPs signal a publisher’s ability to monetize valuable inventory more reliably and preserve brand safety, which can support steadier ad revenue and margins.

invalid traffic (ivt) technical

"Additionally, DV found that fewer than one-quarter (21%) of advertisers measure CTV performance using invalid traffic (IVT) or fraud detection as a KPI."

Invalid traffic (IVT) is web or app visits, clicks, or ad impressions that are not genuine user interest — coming from automated bots, scripts, accidental or repetitive clicks, or low-quality sources. For investors, IVT matters because it inflates audience and revenue numbers like impressions and engagement, much like counting fake shoppers in a store; high IVT can overstate performance, reduce ad value, and signal business or measurement problems.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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CTV fraud risk is being supercharged by AI and rising across markets, according to DoubleVerify’s latest Global Insights report on Streaming TV

NEW YORK, May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DoubleVerify (“DV”) (NYSE: DV), the leading software platform to verify media quality, optimize ad performance and prove campaign outcomes, today released its 2026 Global Insights report, Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance. The insights are based on proprietary DV measurement data spanning billions of impressions from DV-protected campaigns and controlled tests where protection controls were not applied. The report also includes surveys of more than 2,000 marketers and 22,000 consumers in over 20 global markets.

A core finding from the research shows how AI is fueling more sophisticated fraud, with connected TV (CTV) schemes accelerating worldwide. DV detected 140% more CTV fraud schemes and variants in Q1 2026 compared with Q1 2025, underscoring how fraudsters are using advanced tools to scale and create more complex operations.

“CTV is attracting premium spend and bad actors right along with it,” said Gilit Saporta, VP, Fraud Lab at DoubleVerify. “Our research shows fraudsters are quick to exploit inefficiencies in the ecosystem, using AI and limited transparency to siphon value from advertisers, with tactics that vary by market. Brands need to get ahead of it by eliminating low-quality impressions and focusing investment on inventory with a real chance to perform.”

Additional findings from DV’s report demonstrate how rapidly fraud is scaling across CTV:

• Persistent bot activity: DV uncovered 50+ distinct CTV bot attacks and variants in 2025 alone.
• Explosive growth in fraudulent apps: DV identified 10x more fraudulent CTV apps in 2025 vs. 2024.
• Significant financial impact: In unprotected campaigns, even at conservative estimates, fraud can cost advertisers approximately $1.8 million per billion CTV impressions served. With trillions of CTV impressions served each year, these losses add up quickly.
  

Notably, CTV fraud is not uniform across markets. Bot fraud uses software to imitate real users, while data center fraud comes from centralized servers generating high volumes of non-human traffic. In North America, bot fraud made up 82% of violations, while data center traffic dominated in APAC (98%), EMEA (66%) and LATAM (91%). The regional variation signals that fraudsters are adapting tactics by market, reinforcing the need for tailored approaches.

DV’s research also challenges a common assumption in the market: that buying CTV inventory through direct deals or private marketplaces (PMPs) inherently reduces fraud. DV found bot activity in multiple direct CTV buys from major global advertisers. In one consumer healthcare campaign, 34% of impressions went to bots, compared with 25% in a major CPG campaign—both in direct deals.

“There’s a perception that direct deals in CTV are fraud-free, but that’s not the case as fraud always finds a way,” Saporta added. “It can exist anywhere inventory is bought and sold. Without independent verification and proactive protections, advertisers risk paying premium prices for impressions that deliver no real value.”

DV’s analysis shows a clear divide between protected (with verification controls) and unprotected environments. In DV-protected CTV campaigns, fraud rates were less than 1%, compared with nearly 9% in unprotected campaigns. As fraud grows more sophisticated, effective protection is not optional, but foundational to performance.

Additionally, DV found that fewer than one-quarter (21%) of advertisers measure CTV performance using invalid traffic (IVT) or fraud detection as a KPI. While fraud prevention is not a direct measure of performance, it plays a critical role in enabling it. Fraudulent impressions have no chance to drive outcomes, and exposure to low-quality inventory limits campaign effectiveness. By identifying and avoiding invalid traffic, advertisers can shift investment toward high-quality impressions with real potential to perform—strengthening both media efficiency and overall campaign results.

DV launched DV Authentic Streaming TV™ in January, combining verification and optimization to deliver granular pre-bid discovery, AI-powered activation and unified measurement across streaming TV and CTV. The solution helps brands avoid low-quality impressions, focus spend on high-performing, contextually relevant inventory and drive measurable outcomes.

Must-CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance, the first of DV’s 2026 Global Insights reports, is now available. To receive the report and additional findings as they are published, sign up here: https://doubleverify.com/lp/report/ctv/verify/2026-dv-global-insights-streaming-tv

About DoubleVerify
DoubleVerify (“DV”) (NYSE: DV) is the industry’s leading media effectiveness platform that leverages AI to drive superior outcomes for global brands. By powering media efficiency and performance, DV strengthens the online advertising ecosystem, preserving the fair value exchange between buyers and sellers of digital media. Learn more at www.doubleverify.com.

Chris Harihar
646-535-9475
chris@crenshawcomm.com

FAQ

What did DoubleVerify (DV) find about CTV fraud growth in Q1 2026?

CTV fraud schemes increased 140% year-over-year in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025. According to the company, this rise reflects AI-enabled tactics that scale fraud and create more complex scheme variants across markets.

How effective are DV protections at reducing CTV fraud for DV (NYSE: DV)?

DV-protected CTV campaigns had fraud rates under 1%, compared with nearly 9% in unprotected campaigns. According to the company, verification controls materially lower invalid traffic and preserve ad quality.

What financial impact did DoubleVerify estimate for unprotected CTV impressions?

DV estimates unprotected CTV fraud costs about $1.8 million per billion impressions served. According to the company, with trillions of impressions annually, cumulative losses can be large without verification.

Does buying CTV inventory via direct deals eliminate fraud according to DV?

No — DV found bot activity in direct CTV buys, with examples showing 34% and 25% of impressions going to bots. According to the company, direct deals are not inherently fraud-free without independent verification.

What regional CTV fraud patterns did DoubleVerify report for 2025?

DV reported bot fraud dominated North America at 82%, while data center fraud dominated APAC 98%, EMEA 66%, and LATAM 91%. According to the company, tactics vary materially by market and require tailored defenses.