Plywood is ocassionally used on walls as a tiling substrate, if sealed with PVA solution it provides a good background for tiling, maybe not my favourite though, as the joints are effectively open and unless treated in some way could allow water ingress if the grouting fails. I would "scrim" the joints using a self adhesive mesh tape (as used in drylining), feathering this with tile adhesive. The best backgrounds for tiling IMHO are:
1. Sand/ cement render on blockwork background or on expanded metal over plywood on timber stud.
2. Cementitious backer boards, specially produced for tiling.
3. Moisture resistant wallboard (green lining paper).
4. Gypsum wallboard (worst performer- only suitable for use in non-critical areas and certainly not suitable for use in shower enclosures).