The solution
Ars Technica reported in June 2025 that when a connected-TV (CTV) platform fails to sell ad inventory, viewers get a black screen and an 'We'll be right back' graphic. AdGood, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was turning that wasted space into messaging for nonprofits. At the StreamTV Show, founder and CEO Kris Johns told Ars that AdGood sells unused, sometimes donated, CTV ad space at discounted rates, which it says can be as low as about $5 to $6 CPM, against $12 to $15 and higher for CTV generally, and $35 to $65 averages cited by some CTV ad firms.
Johns said nonprofits wanted to reach younger audiences on CTV but minimum spend amounts kept them out. AdGood works through partnerships with LG Ad Solutions and, announced that week, Stingray and Plex. It also sells a self-serve generative-AI ad manager, built with Streamr.AI, for 30-second video ads editable by chat prompt; after a roughly 24-hour approval for TV quality, nonprofits pay a $7 CPM plus a $250 flat fee.
What it achieved
Sell nonprofits the blank, unsold slots at deep discounts, so wasted space reaches advertisers who could not pay.
Why it worked
Unfilled slots earn the platform nothing, so selling them cheaply costs little.
Minimum spend amounts had kept small nonprofits out of CTV.
A self-serve AI ad builder removes the cost of producing a TV commercial.
Platform partners such as LG Ad Solutions and Plex supply the inventory.
What can be applied
Inventory that would otherwise go unsold has little opportunity cost, so it can be priced for a buyer the market normally excludes.
Aftermath
Johns said AdGood had about 60-plus nonprofit customers across animals, education, health care and homelessness after six months. All the figures, including the discounted CPMs and customer count, are the founder's self-reported claims in the interview, and no campaign results were given. He said pixel-based tracking is 'in the works' and he wants each customer to get a monthly impression allocation.
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