Maya Robertson
Roku is introducing a new self-serve advertising API suite designed to give developers and advertisers broader access to its CTV ad capabilities. The launch marks a shift toward greater interoperability in the CTV ecosystem, aligning Roku’s platform more closely with the programmatic and API-driven workflows that advertisers already use in channels like social media.
The Roku Ads API connects directly to the company’s Roku Ads Manager and provides developers with tools to integrate CTV advertising into customer data platforms (CDPs), CRM systems, and measurement applications. At launch, the API supports reporting, audience targeting, and conversion tracking, with features for campaign and creative management expected to roll out in the coming months.
Roku says the goal is to simplify how advertisers manage data and performance across channels, allowing Roku campaign signals to appear alongside analytics from platforms such as Meta, Google, and TikTok. The approach echoes how social media ad APIs have long enabled automated workflows, optimization, and attribution.
According to Peter Hamilton, Roku’s Head of Ad Innovation, the API is designed for both ad tech partners building new tools and brands running their own internal measurement systems. Roku is positioning the offering as fully self-serve, meaning developers can register applications and build integrations without undergoing a manual approval process.
The API launch also highlights a broader trend in CTV: growing demand for performance-based advertising. As more marketers push for measurable outcomes, platforms are under pressure to offer clearer attribution and tighter optimization loops. Early beta partners have included measurement and data onboarding vendors, which Roku prioritized due to their reliance on server-to-server integrations.
One such partner, Tealium, said the direct API access helps advertisers unify proprietary audience data in real time for CTV targeting and attribution, reducing signal loss and improving the accuracy of performance measurement. Roku says these capabilities can support real-time optimization, audience creation, and cross-channel analysis.
The introduction of the Ads API also aligns with Roku’s stated strategy of becoming more “open and interoperable” across the ad tech ecosystem. Other CTV platforms, including Comcast, have begun experimenting with similar developer-focused toolkits, signaling a shift away from closed systems and toward open, API-accessible environments.
Roku plans to expand the Ads API with full campaign launch and creative upload features later this year, completing the suite and allowing advertisers to plan, activate, and analyze CTV campaigns entirely through automated integrations.
Developers can request access to the API through Roku Ads Manager, with documentation and testing tools now available.
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