India’s CTV Growth: Small Towns Drive Boom, New Ad Metrics Emerge

Connected TV (CTV) is rapidly expanding across India, with small towns and rural areas emerging as significant growth engines. This surge in viewership, tripling since 2022, signals a profound shift in digital content consumption.

India now counts an estimated 62-65 million CTV households, reaching a substantial 207 million viewers. Daily engagement averages 2.9 hours per viewer, with 67% either new to the platform or actively increasing their viewing time.

Key Growth Drivers

The expansion demonstrates a clear lean towards non-metro regions. Metros recorded a 21% growth, while mini-metros saw a 46% increase. Small towns experienced a 55% surge, and rural India led with an impressive 110% growth rate.

Non-metro regions collectively account for the majority of the CTV audience. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, and parts of the Northeast have consistently shown above-average growth in this evolving landscape.

Complementary Viewing Habits

Crucially, this CTV expansion complements traditional linear television, rather than replacing it. A significant 68% of CTV viewers also engage with linear content, indicating a dual consumption pattern.

Prime time viewing, between 8 PM and 10 PM, remains robust across both platforms. During weekdays, 78% of CTV viewers are active on the big screen, compared to 63% for linear TV audiences.

Advertiser Challenges and Implications

Advertisers face distinct challenges in measuring CTV viewership due to its shared household nature. An average of 3.3 people reside in each CTV household, meaning one impression effectively reaches approximately 2.5 members.

This dynamic necessitates a strategic focus on household-level reach, frequency, and unified measurement. Without these refined metrics, effective advertising strategies across India’s diverse CTV audience will remain elusive.