Cross-Device Attribution: Measuring CTV’s Impact on Mobile App Conversions

As mobile marketers face rising acquisition costs, tighter privacy regulations, and increasingly fragmented user journeys, many are turning to Connected TV (CTV) to expand their reach and drive performance. But measuring the true value of CTV—especially when your ultimate conversion happens on a mobile device—can be challenging.

That’s where cross-device attribution comes in: the connective tissue that links big-screen impressions to small-screen results.

In partnership with Kochava, we’ll explore how CTV-to-mobile attribution works, why it matters, and what the latest multi-touch attribution data reveals about CTV’s role as a catalyst for high-value conversions.

Why CTV Matters for Mobile Growth

CTV has evolved from a pure brand-awareness channel into a full-funnel, performance-ready growth engine.

A few years ago, CTV was often seen as the playground for big brands with equally big budgets. Today, thanks to programmatic buying, advertisers of all sizes can run targeted, cost-efficient campaigns with measurable outcomes; often at budget levels comparable to mobile. And with the right MMP support, CTV is just as measurable as mobile campaigns, delivering performance that’s on par or, in many cases, even better.

Here’s why adding CTV to your mobile strategy pays off:

• Search & Social Lift – Kochava’s multi-touch attribution analysis reveals that when an app install has both a CTV and a search touchpoint, CTV precedes the search activity 96% of the time. When the touchpoints are CTV and social media, CTV comes first 94% of the time.

“Understanding this relationship allows for more accurate media mix modeling and demonstrates that CTV is a key catalyst for driving high-intent search & social conversions,” says Grant Simmons, VP of Kochava Foundry.

• High-Intent Conversions – Users influenced by CTV ads—regardless of which channel gets last-touch credit—tend to be more valuable post-install. In Kochava’s analysis, search-attributed users who were also exposed to a CTV ad were more likely to make an in-app purchase and other post-install conversions than those influenced by search alone.
  
  
• Extended Reach & Engagement – CTV reaches audiences in high-attention, lean-back environments where mobile ads may not penetrate, particularly in households with mobile ad fatigue.
  
  
• Organic Boost – CTV can fuel branded search, app store visits, and indirect installs, improving app store rankings and discoverability.

How CTV-to-Mobile Attribution Works

Because CTV ads are typically non-clickable, measuring their impact on mobile requires specialized methods. Here are two core approaches:

1. View-Through Attribution (VTA) with Household Sync

• A CTV ad is served to a household-connected device.
  
  
• Using IP matching and Household Sync technology, advertisers track other devices in the same home.
  
  
• If a user installs an app or completes an event on their mobile device within a set time frame, the MMP attributes that conversion to the original CTV impression.
  
  

2. CTV-to-CTV Attribution
   For apps that are downloaded directly onto smart TVs or streaming devices, attribution is even more straightforward.

Platforms like mediasmart send the TV ID and Household IP to MMPs, allowing for deterministic attribution when the same device is used to install the app. This is ideal for OTT apps and also provides insights for advertisers running CTV-only user acquisition campaigns.

Best Practices for Accurate CTV Attribution

To ensure you’re measuring the real lift from CTV:

1. Right-Size Your Attribution Windows
   
   
   • Equal priority lookback: 3–6 hours
     
     
   • View-through attribution: 24 hours & beyond

Kochava research shows that the conversion demand curve for CTV impressions is much longer than mobile impressions, which are typically capped at a 24-hour lookback. Depending on the app vertical, a CTV attribution window between 3-7 days may be more appropriate. Talk with your MMP about supported attribution windows and guided recommendations. 

1. Track Assisted Installs
   CTV often sparks interest while another channel closes the loop. Assisted installs signal that CTV is playing its role higher up in the funnel.
   
   
2. Measure Incremental Value
   Compare organic traffic and install trends before and after your CTV campaign launches. If organic installs and app store rankings climb, your CTV investment is likely driving incremental value, even if not all installs are directly attributed.

What About Lift Tests and Device Graphs?

While probabilistic by nature, some advertisers opt for more advanced techniques to gauge CTV’s true influence:

Conversion Lift Tests

Split your audience into exposed and control groups to estimate incremental installs. Ghost ad models reduce cost by avoiding placebo ads, though they still require minimum spend thresholds.

Cross-Device Graphs

Identity graphs from platforms like Samba TV or Oracle use IP, user agents, and timestamps to connect actions across devices. These offer holistic views but often come with high cost and potential selection bias.

For most mobile app marketers, the sweet spot lies in leveraging MMP-powered cross-device attribution, particularly when paired with Household Sync and IP-matching technologies.

CTV + Mobile: Better Together

Whether you’re running user acquisition or retargeting campaigns, here’s how CTV enhances your mobile strategy:

Final Takeaway

Thanks to programmatic buying, CTV is no longer a channel reserved for big-brand budgets. Smaller, targeted campaigns can be launched with measurable results that rival—and often exceed—mobile performance.

Whether it’s sparking a high-intent search, influencing a social conversion, or driving a purchase weeks later, CTV’s role is often underestimated in last-touch models.

The opportunity?

• Adopt CTV early to gain a competitive edge.
  
  
• Use cross-device attribution to see the full picture.
  
  
• Pair CTV with mobile retargeting to maximize lifetime value.
  
  

YouAppi and Kochava can help you connect the dots between CTV exposure and mobile conversions, and unlock your next big performance win.

👉 Contact Kochava for measurement solutions that can help optimize your cross-screen strategy.

👉 Contact YouAppi to run a smarter, cross-screen campaigns for high impact mobile performance.