Connected TV (CTV) growth in India has reached a scale that is compelling advertisers to rethink their marketing plans for the medium. According to a report by WPP Media and The Trade Desk, with research conducted by Ormax Media, the country’s CTV households grew threefold since 2022 to reach 62-65 million homes this year, which translates to 207 million viewers.
One CTV impression now reaches an average of 2.5 people, considering that over 80% of the viewing happens with family or others while only 19% watch alone. The growing trend of shared watching is driving brands to now reassess reach, frequency and household impact.
The report, titled The Connected TV Era, also notes that rural CTV viewership saw a notable 110% year-on-year growth. Small towns grew 55% and mini-metros 46%, against 21% in metros, clearly indicating that the next phase of growth is likely to come from mass adoption. This could change the medium’s premium, urban positioning over the next few years.
That said, the report notes that the platform still holds a lot of potential in targeting premium audiences. Among all the CTV users surveyed, 83% seek more information after seeing an ad, rising to 89% among premium viewers. The premium urban audience of 21 million over indexes across categories such as travel, financial services, home furnishings and shopping memberships, making this cohort valuable to advertisers seeking high value consumers. The implication for advertisers therefore is that CTV is capable of delivering premium audiences and national reach.
The most sought-after Gen Z viewers consume CTV content across two screens, spending around 3.1 hours a day on the medium, compared with 4.3 hours on mobile. These audiences watch a range of programmes from web series and sports to movies on CTV, challenging the mobile-only perception among most media planners. 77% of Gen Z viewers watch content on CTV with friends or family, while 88% display some kind of two-screen behaviour. Millennials are still an important cohort, accounting for 38% of the CTV audience, spending 2.8 hours a day on the medium.
Prime time is also moving towards CTV, as the research shows 78% of these audiences are active on the medium between 8 and 10 pm on weekdays compared with 63% for linear TV. Cricket remains especially valuable as 64% of the CTV audiences watch cricket with 84% co-viewing. Free ad-supported television or FAST is also a big opportunity identified in the CTV ecosystem, as one in five viewers consumes FAST for at least 50 minutes daily.