Q3 Tentpole Season is Here (Time to Get Smart About CTV)

We’re heading into one of the richest stretches of the year for cultural moments—long weekends, summer escapes, back-to-school prep, and the ramp-up to fall sports. It’s prime time to tap into audience attention on CTV. But buying into tentpoles isn’t about chasing spikes or dumping dollars into broad buckets. It’s about knowing where attention is shifting—and showing up in the right places, with the right tone.Here’s a quick breakdown of the moments we’re watching in Q3, and how smart buyers are leaning in with more relevance, more control, and way better outcomes:

Summer Escapes

What to Lean Into: Travel vlogs, beach culture, road trip content, summer playlists, and regional guides.

Who You’ll Reach:

Vacation planners, families eyeing getaways, and people living in “out of office” mode.

Where to Show Up: Roku, Tastemade Travel, Outdoor America, Pluto, CuriosityStream.

Recommended Bid: $18.50–$20.50 | Monthly Supply: 31B+Streaming doesn’t take a vacation. This is a great window to align with sunny, feel-good content while folks are relaxing and exploring.

Mid-Summer Celebrations

Go Beyond July 4th: Think BBQ specials, music docuseries, backyard makeovers, Americana throwbacks.

Contextual Gems: Food culture, vinyl history, small-town traditions.

Where to Look: Crackle, Tastemade Home, VevoTV, Revry, Local Now.

Recommended Bid: $19.50–$21.50 | Monthly Supply: 54B+July’s not just fireworks and flags—it’s full of nostalgia and seasonal rituals. Context matters more than ever here to avoid generic ad placements.

Labor Day & Lifestyle

Content Sweet Spot: Home upgrades, DIY projects, long-weekend recipes, lifestyle series.

Best Fit Genres: Personal storytelling, culinary how-tos, design inspiration.

Target Channels: Dabl, Freevee, This Old House, Magnolia Network, Bon Appétit.

Recommended Bid: $19–$21 | Monthly Supply: 22B+The last hoorah of summer. It’s a perfect time to catch viewers before the back-to-school reset, especially as they lean into home and self-improvement content.

Back-to-Learning

Smart Angles: Educational series, STEM shows, positive kids content, college prep.

Core Audiences: Parents, students, teachers—anyone focused on learning and growth.

Top Channels: Kidoodle.TV, Da Vinci, PBS Kids, Sensical, BYUtv.

Recommended Bid: $18.50–$20.50 | Monthly Supply: 5B+Back-to-school shopping may start in stores, but the prep happens at home—and often on-screen. Meet these audiences in the right context.

Sports Ramps Up

What’s Heating Up: Preseason NFL chatter, youth sports, inspiring athlete stories, niche highlights.

Winning Formats: Long-form interviews, trivia, analysis.

Suggested Publishers: Stadium, Big Ten Network+, Fubo Sports, Whistle, Overtime.

Recommended Bid: $17–$19 | Monthly Supply: 20MM+Mainstream coverage gets the headlines, but there’s a huge CTV opportunity in smaller, loyal sports communities—especially pre-kickoff.

Why It Matters

These aren’t just “moments”—they’re high-intent shifts in behavior. You don’t need to flood a channel or chase impressions. You need to match the moment with relevance. That’s where we come in.

SignalTap is our AI-powered engine that builds smarter PMP deals from the ground up—using contextual signals, performance insights, and the cleanest inventory paths we can find. So you can lean into Q3 tentpoles without crossing your fingers and hoping an algo gets it right. Real-time contextual matching

• Transparent inventory mapping

• Performance-based optimizations.

• No MFA junk.

• No guesswork.

• No wasted spend.

Already planning Q3 campaigns? So are we. Whether you’re going after summer vibes or early fall momentum, let’s build something sharp around the moments that matter.

Shoot us a note—let’s talk strategy.