The Biggest Screen Is Going Digital
Television advertising is entering a new phase in India. While traditional television continues to reach large audiences, connected televisions are creating new opportunities for brands to combine the impact of the big screen with the targeting and measurement capabilities of digital advertising.
Connected TV, commonly known as CTV, refers to television sets used to access internet-based video content through smart TV apps or connected devices. Viewers can watch streaming shows, films, sports and online videos without relying exclusively on conventional broadcast or cable television.
For advertisers, this creates a new way to reach consumers in their living rooms while exploring audience targeting, campaign optimisation and more measurable outcomes.
The Audience Is Growing Fast
India’s connected-TV audience is expanding rapidly. According to the Ormax OTT Audience Report 2026, India’s CTV audience reached an estimated 206.9 million people in 2026, up from 129.2 million in 2025—a year-on-year increase of approximately 60%.
The wider shift in viewing habits is significant for advertisers. As audiences move between smartphones, traditional television and streaming platforms, brands need to rethink how they distribute advertising budgets across screens.
CTV is not simply a premium metropolitan phenomenon, either. Its expansion into smaller towns and rural markets offers advertisers opportunities to reach audiences beyond the locations traditionally prioritised by national media campaigns.
Official source: The Ormax OTT Audience Report 2026
Why Brands Are Paying Attention
Connected TV combines two advantages that have historically belonged to different advertising channels.
Traditional television offers a large-screen viewing experience that can make storytelling memorable. Digital advertising, meanwhile, offers tools for defining audiences, managing campaign delivery and analysing performance.
CTV brings elements of these approaches together. A consumer watching a sports stream or a popular series might see an advertisement for a new automobile, a financial service, a travel destination or a consumer product.
Depending on the platform and advertising format, campaigns can be planned around relevant audiences rather than relying exclusively on broad channel selection.
However, targeting capabilities vary across services, and advertisers must account for available data, privacy requirements, inventory quality and campaign objectives.
The Power of Shared Viewing
Unlike mobile viewing, which often takes place on an individual device, connected television is frequently watched by several people in the same household.
Research published in August 2026 by WPP Media, The Trade Desk and Ormax Media estimated that India’s CTV ecosystem reached 207 million viewers across approximately 62 million to 65 million households. The report also highlighted the importance of shared viewing and the growth of audiences outside major metropolitan markets.
For advertisers, household viewing can increase the potential exposure generated by a single advertisement. A family watching a film together, for example, may encounter the same brand message at the same time.
But reach alone does not guarantee results. Effective campaigns still need relevant creative, sensible frequency limits and a clear understanding of the audience being reached.
Official source: The Trade Desk’s Connected TV India Report
From Brand Awareness to Measurable Results
One of CTV advertising’s most important opportunities is connecting brand storytelling with measurable consumer actions.
Advertisers can design campaigns that encourage viewers to visit a website, search for a product, scan a QR code or explore a retail offer. Where supported, campaign measurement can help brands understand whether exposure contributed to changes in awareness, engagement or sales.
Yet measurement requires careful interpretation. A viewer visiting a website after seeing an advertisement does not automatically prove that the advertisement caused the visit.
Marketers should distinguish between simple attribution and incremental impact. Controlled experiments, brand-lift studies and appropriate conversion analysis can help determine whether CTV advertising is generating additional value.
The Challenges Advertisers Cannot Ignore
Despite its potential, CTV presents practical challenges.
Audience fragmentation across streaming services can make it difficult to build consistent reach. Advertisers may encounter differences in reporting standards, targeting options and inventory quality across platforms.
Frequency management is another concern. Without suitable controls, the same household could receive repetitive advertisements across different services, wasting budget and weakening the viewing experience.
Brands must also examine transparency, invalid traffic protections, privacy practices and the reliability of measurement partners before committing substantial budgets.
How Indian Brands Should Prepare
Businesses can start by defining the role CTV should play in their media plans. A campaign focused on national awareness may require a different approach from one designed to generate qualified leads or promote a local retail offer.
Advertisers should then test a limited campaign, identify the audience and geography they want to reach, agree on measurement methods, and compare results with other media channels.
CTV should also be planned alongside traditional television, online video, social media and search rather than treated as an isolated channel. This integrated approach can help brands manage overlapping audiences and allocate spending more intelligently.
The Future of Television Advertising
Connected TV is changing the way Indian audiences watch content and how marketers think about television. Its growing reach offers brands a chance to combine large-screen storytelling with more flexible digital campaign strategies.
The opportunity, however, is not simply to follow audiences onto another screen. It is to understand where advertising adds value, measure outcomes responsibly and deliver messages that viewers actually find relevant.
As India’s streaming audience continues to expand, the brands that approach connected TV with clear objectives, strong creative and disciplined measurement will be better positioned to make the most of the country’s new prime time.
