From the Big Screen to the Bottom Line: A BNPL App’s CTV Breakthrough Surpasses Every KPI

Outcomes

Objective

A leading buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) app needed to scale app installs and paid subscribers without sacrificing return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) efficiency. Mobile-first channels were generating volume, but not quality: installs were not converting to paying subscribers at the rate the business required. The open question was whether a lean-back, TV-first channel could drive the kind of high-intent user who actually converts to a paying subscriber.

Approach

The Perform^[cb] Outcome Engine activated the app on connected TV through a programmatic FAST (free ad-supported streaming) inventory stack, placing non-skippable video in front of streaming-only households across platforms such as Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, LG Channels, Pluto TV, and WatchFree+. Campaigns ran on a cost-per-install (CPI) model: the marketer paid only for installs, never impressions, with Day 7 ROAS and install-to-subscription rate as the primary KPIs. Perform[cb] absorbed the CPM cost, transferring zero media risk to the marketer.

Results

Since its 2025 launch, the program has driven more than 54,000 first-time transfers and managed over $839,000 in partner spend, peaking above $140,000 in a single month. With more than 20 media buying teams actively engaged and international expansion underway, the brand has a scalable, transfer-first acquisition channel built entirely around verified outcomes.

Why Perform^[cb]

CTV became the app’s largest single revenue-generating source of the month with the Outcome Engine, outperforming every other acquisition channel across both iOS and Android.

METRIC	IOS CTV	ANDROID CTV
Day 7 ROAS	100% full media cost recouped in 7 days	53.56% more than 2.5x the 15-20% benchmark
Install-to-subscription	11% more than double the 5%+ KPI	5.31% meeting the 5%+ KPI

iOS install-to-subscription rate climbed steadily over two months, from 7.84% to 11%, a 40% lift that reflects the stronger user quality coming out of CTV. The 15 to 20% ROAS benchmark represents typical channel performance, making the 100% Day 7 return a standout result.

Why it Worked

CTV’s lean-back context attracts a more deliberate user: primetime viewing, full-screen non-skippable creative, and household-level frequency control. Downloading an app after seeing it on TV signals higher intent than a thumb-stopped social scroll. Paired with Perform^[cb]‘s outcome-based model, where the marketer pays only for qualified installs, the channel delivered both scale and subscriber quality at once.