Connected TV is usually thought of as what happens on the biggest screen in the home. But a growing share of viewing now happens elsewhere, “off the couch.”
The problem is that much of the out-of-home (OOH) programming is repurposed from formats built for longer, more focused viewing. Now, it’s being honed for “CTV IRL,” or what Atmosphere TV describes as “OOH meets TV.” Across some 60,000 bars, gyms, airports, and waiting rooms, viewers are seeing shorter, intermittent moments, frequently without sound.
Intrigued by a recent MediaScience study that touted higher than expected attention focused on that content, which I covered in a previous article for MediaVillage, I wanted to better understand the premise for creating that content and how it’s working for advertisers. That led to a conversation for an episode of Insider Interviews with Ryan Spicer, CRO of Atmosphere.
For years, Spicer said, venues had to make do with television built for the living room. As he put it, “No one walks into a bar and asks to watch Judge Judy on mute.”
At its core, Atmosphere is still CTV but built and delivered for viewers who are off the couch and on a barstool or stationary bike.
Built for the Moment
That difference first shows up in the format. This is programming that doesn’t rely on narratives or story arcs, so can be picked up at any point. It’s visual-first, not dependent on audio, and designed to hold attention in quick bursts rather than over a full episode. Atmosphere has organized that content into about 30 channels spanning sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and trivia, curated to fit the context of environments like bars, gyms, and waiting rooms.
Spicer said the company saw early signs that the approach was working from venue operators with anecdotal stories of customers watching the TVs but still needed to validate it with data for advertisers. “We had to prove that something other than impressions ran,” he said.
Attention, Proved IRL
That led to formal measurement, including the eye-opening MediaScience study that used eye-tracking to look at how well viewers IRL pay attention to content in these out-of-home environments. In controlled conditions, Atmosphere’s entertainment programming generated higher engagement than traditional linear content in comparable settings, along with lifts in brand recall. The takeaway was not that attention is guaranteed in these environments, but that it behaves differently and can be captured when the content is built for it.
Part of the reason that matters now is what Spicer calls “The Great Reconnection,” a shift back toward shared, in-person experiences after several years of more isolated, screen-first behavior. “People are seeking out opportunities to be among other people again,” he said, pointing to increased dining, fitness, and other communal activity. He noted that roughly 77 million households went out to dinner in 2025, a number that’s up about 30 percent over the previous year.
For a platform built around out-of-home TV, that trend reinforces the idea that those environments are not just background, but part of how people are choosing to spend their time again.
What Brands Do With That
For advertisers, the implications are practical.
Most brands already have video assets that can run in this environment, and many do. But Spicer noted that performance improves when those assets are adapted, even slightly, to fit how the content is consumed. That can mean simplifying messaging, emphasizing visual cues, or making the creative work without sound.
He pointed to a quick-service restaurant campaign built around late-night dining. The ads featured only menu items available after hours and ran in bars with limited food service, timed to when those options were actually relevant, and within a few miles of screen locations. The result was a 44 percent lift in foot traffic and more than 25 percent in purchases from those nearby advertisers.
The point is not to reinvent creative entirely, but to adjust it for a setting where viewers are not sitting still or listening closely yet are still responsive.
Where It Fits
That perspective came through clearly when Spicer was the first to participate in a new “Pitch Me.” segment in the podcast. Given the material and his passion, he didn’t have to reach for it. He had a mix of proof and conviction and made the case that Atmosphere is grounded in how the platform is built and how it performs.
More than anything, he framed its value for advertisers by not focusing on where it fits, but on what it does. In other words, it matters less if it’s CTV or OOH. Those distinctions still matter in how media is planned and budgeted, but they’re not the starting point. The more relevant question, he said, isn’t which bucket it fits into, but whether it changes the outcome for a brand, by capturing attention and driving action in a unique way, or in a way that complements other channels.
In terms of what’s next, I made a pretty good guess during our conversation that Atmosphere could be the perfect complement to, or even a part of, retail media networks. Spicer confirmed it’s a work-in-progress strategy. Out-of-home TV, particularly those tied to specific locations, offers a way to extend a campaign’s reach while staying close to the moment of decision, not replacing what happens on the couch, but adding to it.
Net net? People are still watching television. They’re just not always sitting still for it.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.