Not because the strategy doesn’t work. Because access and pricing haven’t been set up for the “rest of us.”
That’s why Code3 is all-in on our partnership with Untapped Growth, and why their newly announced collaboration with FreeWheel is a genuinely big deal for advertisers who want premium CTV inventory without the usual friction, mystery math, or “sorry, that’s reserved for the biggest budgets” nonsense.
Untapped Growth + FreeWheel are Opening the Doors to Premium CTV
On December 3, 2025, Untapped Growth announced a partnership with FreeWheel designed to democratize access to premium CTV advertising for independent agencies and mid-market advertisers, specifically by combining the collective buying power of agencies with FreeWheel’s performance-focused programmatic capabilities.
In plain English: more advertisers get a clearer path to the streaming audiences they want, with more equitable access and transparent pricing.
And Code3 is already seeing why that matters.
As our CEO Craig Atkinson put it in the announcement: “Since we became an Untapped Growth member, we've been able to offer our clients and prospects media rates and platform access at parity with the biggest scaled agency players in the world… it’s been a game changer…”
That “parity” word is the key. Because in a channel as competitive as CTV advertising, access is advantage.
Why CTV Advertising is the Lever Brands Can’t Ignore Anymore
If you’re still thinking of streaming as “nice-to-have video,” the market has moved on.
- Streaming is taking a bigger share of viewing time: Nielsen reported streaming hit 44.3% of total TV viewing (April 2025) and has been printing record highs.
- Digital video (which includes CTV) is projected to capture nearly 60% of total TV/video ad spend in 2025, per IAB analysis.
But here’s the part most brands feel first-hand: even if you want to invest more in connected TV, buying premium supply can be complicated, expensive, or both, especially if you’re not coming in with mega-agency scale.
The Real Problem This Partnership Solves: Access, Pricing, and Control
Let’s keep it real: premium CTV inventory has often favored the biggest players. Not because smaller brands don’t deserve the same quality environments, but because the ecosystem has historically rewarded scale.
If you’re a brand, the “so what?” is simple:
- Premium Environments Become more Attainable: You’re not stuck choosing between low-quality placements or inflated costs. You can show up in higher-quality streaming content where audiences actually pay attention.
- Your Dollars Work Harder: More transparency and more efficient pricing means less waste and more of your budget going toward outcomes.
- You Can Run CTV Like a Modern Performance Channel: The partnership messaging explicitly points to performance-focused programmatic buying. That’s important because the best CTV plans today are built with targeting, measurement, creative testing, and iteration in mind.
Why Code3 joined Untapped Growth (and What our Clients Get Out of It)
Code3 joined Untapped Growth for the same reason we do most things: because we’re allergic to unfair fights.
When media pricing and access are tilted toward the biggest holding companies, it’s not just an agency problem: it becomes a brand growth problem. Good strategies get left on the cutting room floor because the economics don’t pencil.
Being part of Untapped Growth has already helped us bring:
- Rates and access at parity with the largest scaled agency players
- A more direct path to high-quality streaming audiences through premium CTV opportunities
And when you pair that with our activation approach (audience strategy, creative guidance, measurement, and optimization), you get CTV that’s built to do more than just “look nice” on a plan.
What this Means for your Brand: 5 Practical Unlocks
Here’s how this impacts planning in the real world: aka the part you actually care about.
1) You can add premium CTV earlier in your mix. Instead of waiting until budgets are huge, you can start testing and scaling in premium streaming environments with fewer barriers.
2) Your connected TV plan can be more targeted (and more relevant). The partnership emphasizes reaching streaming audiences with more relevant, targeted messaging. That matters because relevance is what keeps video from becoming expensive wallpaper.
3) You can push for clearer pricing and stronger accountability. More transparency = better decision-making. Period.
4) You can compete with Goliaths without overpaying. Craig said it best: “neutral ground.” That’s not a vibe statement, it’s a commercial advantage.
5) You can build CTV advertising around outcomes, not vanity. Digital video is eating share of TV/video spend, and CTV growth has been meaningful. Brands that treat CTV like a measurable, optimizable channel will keep pulling ahead.
The Code3 POV: Democratized Access is Only Valuable if You Use it Well
Hot take: access is necessary, but it’s not sufficient on its own.
The brands that win in CTV advertising aren’t the ones who simply “run video on streaming.” They’re the ones who:
- Start with a tight audience and a clear job-to-be-done
- Build creative that’s made for the screen and the moment
- Measure what matters (and actually iterate)
This partnership removes structural friction. Your strategy still has to do the rest.
If you’ve been curious about connected TV but felt boxed out by access, pricing, or complexity, this is the moment to revisit your plan. At Code3, our job is to help you turn new access into real outcomes, without wasting budget, time, or patience. Reach out, and we’ll take it from there.