Best CTV & Streaming Ad Agencies for Cannabis Brands in 2026

Cannabis brands face a persistent challenge in 2026: consumer demand continues to grow, but Google and Meta still heavily restrict cannabis advertising. Connected TV (CTV) and streaming platforms have emerged as compliant pathways that allow cannabis advertisers to reach audiences where regulations and platform policies permit.

Finding the right compliant paid media agency requires evaluating CTV expertise, cannabis compliance knowledge, attribution capabilities, and documented results. This analysis examines 30+ cannabis marketing agencies and their streaming capabilities, ranking the top 10 based on these criteria.

Key Takeaways

• CTV provides advertising opportunities where regulations and platform policies permit, offering cannabis brands placements beyond Meta and Google restrictions
• Herb Agency connects paid media to owned audiences through the Herb.co ecosystem reaching 14 million+ monthly readers
• Compliance-supporting targeting matters with age-composition controls, geo-fencing, and state-specific advertising requirements
• Cross-channel attribution delivers measurable results through platforms like Herb Dashboard that track campaign performance across touchpoints
• Full-funnel integration maximizes ROI when CTV combines with email capture, content distribution, and retention marketing

Why CTV Advertising Works for Cannabis Brands

Traditional digital advertising channels remain largely closed to cannabis. Meta bans most dispensary advertising outright, and brands that attempt to circumvent policies risk permanent account bans. Google restricts cannabis-related keywords and landing pages. These limitations have pushed cannabis marketers toward alternative channels.

CTV and over-the-top (OTT) advertising offer cannabis brands opportunities for video storytelling on streaming platforms. Unlike banner ads, CTV placements appear alongside mainstream content in contexts that can support brand awareness. The premium environment demands higher creative standards and allows for audience engagement through video content.

Programmatic and CTV represent pathways that allow cannabis digital advertising to reach target audiences within compliance frameworks. The agencies on this list have built the infrastructure, publisher relationships, and compliance systems to make streaming advertising work for regulated cannabis brands.

Understanding CTV Compliance Requirements

Cannabis advertising regulations in 2026 continue evolving across state markets. CTV eligibility depends on multiple factors including state law, age-composition requirements, inventory approval, and creative restrictions. California requires reliable audience data showing at least 71.6% of viewers are 21 or older for cannabis advertisements, while New York uses age-audience thresholds based on current state population data. Neither state treats a CTV placement as automatically compliant merely because it is purchased programmatically.

Compliance-supporting targeting and placement controls assist cannabis advertisers but cannot guarantee legal approval. The measurement infrastructure for streaming platforms involves fragmented signals, identity matching, and modeled conversions. Cannabis brands evaluating CTV partners should verify state-specific compliance capabilities, publisher relationships, and attribution methodologies.

1. Herb Agency

Herb Agency has spent 11+ years building performance marketing systems for cannabis and regulated industries. Herb connects paid advertising campaigns to an owned media ecosystem reaching 14 million+ monthly readers through Herb.co.

Key Features

• Programmatic paid media and compliant advertising placements with state-specific audience controls
• Herb Dashboard for cross-channel campaign performance reporting and attribution
• Integration with Herb Mail for first-party data capture and Herb Postal for direct mail cart recovery
• Editorial amplification through Herb.co for content-supported campaigns
• 1,000+ brands served across cannabis, hemp, and regulated industries

Documented Results

Herb Agency's case studies demonstrate the value of integrated campaigns. CBDistillery achieved $200K+ revenue with 60,364 email contacts collected through integrated paid media and content campaigns. DeltaExtrax generated $190K+ revenue, 3.5 million impressions, and $400K+ in influenced orders through coordinated programmatic and content efforts.

Why It Made the List

Herb Agency leads because paid advertising connects to the full customer journey. Campaign impressions feed into content engagement, email capture, cart recovery, and attribution across touchpoints. The Herb.co media ecosystem provides owned distribution channels that extend campaign reach beyond paid placements. For cannabis brands seeking measurable business outcomes beyond impression counts, Herb delivers integrated marketing solutions.

2. MediaJel

MediaJel has built a DSP specifically for regulated industries. The technology platform reports generating $300M+ in revenue for cannabis advertisers and provides compliance-related targeting controls while connecting ad spend to sales data.

Key Features

• Access to 175K+ websites and apps across digital channels, including CTV, according to company materials
• DemoGraph audience targeting with 196M+ profiles in company-reported platform metrics
• DataJel attribution connecting impressions to ecommerce and POS revenue
• Company-reported targeting capability of up to 90% household LDA compliance
• White-label option for agencies

Why It Made the List

MediaJel offers advertising capabilities through its DSP platform. The company reports 2–4x average ROAS and provides compliance-related targeting controls such as age-based audience targeting, geo-fencing, and audience verification. For multi-state operators managing campaigns across multiple jurisdictions with varying regulations, MediaJel's platform approach addresses technical complexity.

3. IQM

IQM operates a DSP specifically designed for cannabis, gaming, alcohol, and other specialty sectors. The platform addresses inventory access challenges by pre-vetting cannabis-accepting publishers.

Key Features

• Display, Native, Audio, Video, and CTV through a specialized DSP
• AI-driven audience building with regulatory compliance filters
• Cannabis-accepting supply integrated with specialty SSPs and publishers
• Real-time reporting and 24/7 industry specialist support

Why It Made the List

IQM's specialty advertising infrastructure addresses inventory access for cannabis advertisers. The platform provides access to cannabis-accepting publishers and exchanges, which may reduce rejection issues during campaign setup. The AI-driven optimization applies regulatory filters while building target audiences for cannabis brands managing their own programmatic buying.

4. Pheno

Pheno specializes in media planning across multiple channels with cannabinoid advertising as its core focus. The agency activates first-party customer data across advertising channels while providing compliance support.

Key Features

• CTV, video, and DOOH buying coordinated in unified campaigns
• Publisher-direct media alongside programmatic buying
• First-party data activation across channels
• Dedicated compliance support for cannabinoid advertising

Why It Made the List

Pheno coordinates CTV with complementary channels including DOOH, native, and search. For cannabis brands building customer databases outside traditional retargeting, Pheno's omnichannel approach connects streaming ads to broader acquisition strategies. The publisher-direct relationships complement programmatic buying for placement access.

5. Hybrid Marketing Co.

Hybrid Marketing Co. frames marketing around five business drivers: revenue, risk, cost, cash flow, and asset utilization. This Chief Revenue Officer model connects advertising to commercial outcomes.

Key Features

• Paid and programmatic media including CTV and DOOH
• Revenue-focused reporting tied to commercial KPIs
• Integration with email/SMS, SEO, social, and websites
• Denver-based with experience since 2015 across dispensaries, brands, hemp, and B2B

Why It Made the List

Hybrid helps cannabis brands evaluate advertising spend against business outcomes beyond impression metrics. The agency's commercial strategy approach considers customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and margin contribution from campaigns. For multi-state operators managing marketing across multiple markets, this revenue focus informs advertising investment decisions.

6. Conduit Digital

Conduit Digital runs CTV campaigns under partner agency brands, with partner agencies maintaining end-client relationships. The white-label model lets agencies offer streaming advertising services while Conduit handles technical implementation.

Key Features

• Programmatic inventory across select streaming environments, including apps on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon, LG, and Samsung devices, subject to publisher approval and policy restrictions
• Age-composition audience targeting and state-boundary geo-fencing
• White-label execution with partner-branded reporting
• Pre-established relationships with cannabis-accepting publishers and exchanges

Why It Made the List

Conduit addresses agencies that need cannabis CTV capabilities without building internal expertise. The learning curve around publisher restrictions and state-specific regulations requires specialized knowledge. Conduit's white-label infrastructure lets agencies offer streaming services while maintaining client relationships and focusing on their core capabilities.

7. Cannabis Creative Group

Cannabis Creative Group reports serving 250+ cannabis and CBD clients through a traditional full-service agency model. The parent company, CHAMP Digital, has operated since 2009, bringing 15+ years of digital marketing experience to cannabis.

Key Features

• Digital advertising including video placements
• Campaign landing pages optimized for advertising traffic
• Full production capabilities for photography and video
• Team with creative and digital marketing roles

Why It Made the List

Cannabis Creative Group's client volume demonstrates experience across diverse cannabis businesses. The agency develops video ads, supports brand consistency, and coordinates email/SMS campaigns. For brands seeking one vendor to handle creative, media, and retention, the full-service structure may reduce coordination requirements across multiple partners.

8. PufCreativ

PufCreativ has earned 2023 EMJAY Branding & Marketing Agency of the Year, two Clio Awards, and two-time ADCANN Agency of the Year recognition. The creative-first approach emphasizes original photography and video.

Key Features

• Cannabis advertising strategy including paid social and search
• Photography and video production
• AI-search visibility alongside traditional advertising
• Customized creative plans built for dispensaries and brands

Why It Made the List

CTV placements require video creative suited to streaming environments. PufCreativ's video production services can provide creative assets for streaming placements. For cannabis brands where visual identity influences both advertising and retail recognition, creative quality is a consideration when developing streaming content.

9. Cola Digital

Cola Digital serves both US and Canadian cannabis markets, operating under state-by-state US compliance and Canadian federal advertising rules. Founder Vee Popat brings 20+ years of digital marketing experience plus cannabis-specific work since 2017.

Key Features

• Programmatic advertising including streaming placements
• Analytics integration for campaign measurement
• Approach combining paid advertising, SEO, content, and websites
• Cross-border expertise for US and Canadian cannabis markets

Why It Made the List

Cola Digital's Canadian presence provides context for US cannabis brands considering expansion into Canada's federally legal market. The agency works across both regulatory environments, addressing multi-market operators planning campaigns across North American jurisdictions. Canadian cannabis promotion faces additional federal restrictions beyond state-level US regulations.

10. Herban Creative

Herban Creative maintains offices across New Jersey, New York, and Florida, providing knowledge of East Coast cannabis markets. The agency positions streaming advertising as a growth channel for cannabis brand marketing.

Key Features

• Dedicated streaming advertising services targeting specific audiences
• OTT and CTV strategy coordinated with website development
• Branding and creative production for streaming content
• Regional focus in New Jersey, New York, and Florida markets

Why It Made the List

Herban Creative combines streaming advertising with creative and branding capabilities for specific regional markets. The East Coast focus addresses dispensaries operating in New Jersey, New York, and Florida, where state-specific regulatory requirements and market conditions differ from West Coast and other US markets.

Why Choose Herb Agency for Cannabis Marketing

When evaluating CTV advertising partners, Herb Agency stands out for cannabis brands seeking measurable growth beyond streaming impressions. The full-funnel approach addresses the complete customer journey through integrated capabilities:

• Owned media access through the Herb.co ecosystem reaching 14 million+ monthly readers, providing editorial distribution that extends campaign reach beyond paid placements
• First-party data infrastructure via Herb Mail identifying anonymous visitors and converting them into email subscribers, plus Herb Postal retargeting cart abandoners through direct mail
• Cross-channel attribution through Herb Dashboard showing how campaign impressions connect to email signups, content engagement, and revenue across touchpoints

These capabilities help cannabis brands build owned audiences that reduce reliance on restricted paid channels while measuring marketing investment against business outcomes.

Cannabis brands ready to connect paid advertising to measurable growth can explore Herb Agency's full-funnel marketing approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do CTV advertising agencies help cannabis brands reach target audiences?

CTV agencies provide access to cannabis-accepting streaming inventory, handle compliance requirements like age-composition targeting and geo-fencing, develop compliant creative, and measure campaign performance. Herb Agency connects streaming campaigns to owned media distribution through Herb.co, first-party data capture through Herb Mail, and cross-channel attribution through Herb Dashboard. This integrated approach extends beyond impression counts to measure email acquisition, content engagement, and revenue outcomes.

What compliance requirements apply to cannabis streaming advertising?

Cannabis CTV advertising requires age-composition targeting meeting state-specific thresholds, geo-fencing matching legal markets, creative review meeting platform standards, and publisher approval for cannabis content. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, with California requiring 71.6%+ audience aged 21 or older and New York using state population-based thresholds. Herb Agency's compliance approach addresses state-specific requirements while connecting compliant placements to owned media distribution and first-party data capture.

How does Herb Agency measure cannabis advertising campaign performance?

Herb Dashboard provides cross-channel campaign performance reporting connecting paid media impressions to owned media engagement, email list growth, and revenue outcomes. The platform tracks how advertising campaigns drive traffic to Herb.co content, convert anonymous visitors into email subscribers through Herb Mail, and influence purchase decisions across the customer journey. This attribution approach demonstrates marketing ROI beyond impression metrics.

Can cannabis brands build owned audiences through streaming advertising?

Cannabis brands can capture first-party data from streaming advertising traffic through integrated systems. Herb Mail identifies anonymous website visitors driven by advertising campaigns and converts them into email subscribers, enabling remarketing independent of platform advertising restrictions. Herb Postal extends retargeting to direct mail for cart abandonment recovery. This first-party data infrastructure becomes critical as cookie deprecation and platform restrictions limit traditional retargeting options.

What results can cannabis brands expect from integrated streaming campaigns?

Results depend on campaign objectives, execution quality, and measurement methodology. Herb Agency's documented case studies show integrated campaigns achieving $200K+ revenue for CBDistillery with 60,364 email contacts collected, and $190K+ revenue for DeltaExtrax with 3.5 million impressions and $400K+ in influenced orders. These outcomes reflect coordinated efforts combining paid media, owned content distribution through Herb.co, email marketing, and attribution across the customer journey.

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