Stories
CTV Booms in India: 207 Million Viewers, Rural Growth, and New Marketing Frontiers
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Storyboard•22-09-2026, 08:24
CTV Booms in India: 207 Million Viewers, Rural Growth, and New Marketing Frontiers
- •India's Connected TV (CTV) audience has tripled since 2022, reaching 207 million viewers across 62-65 million households, establishing it as a mainstream video platform.
- •CTV growth is rapidly expanding beyond metros, with rural areas seeing a 110% year-on-year increase, challenging the perception of CTV as an urban-only phenomenon.
- •Smart TVs are the dominant gateway to CTV, accounting for 82% of users, making the smart-TV ecosystem crucial for content distribution, advertising, and measurement.
- •CTV complements linear TV rather than replacing it, with 68% of CTV households still having a linear TV connection, leading to a 'Total TV' planning concept for advertisers.
- •CTV is a prime-time, shared-screen experience, with over 80% of viewing co-viewed, and strong engagement from Gen Z and Millennials, particularly for entertainment and live sports like cricket.
Key Questions Answered
According to the CTV India Report 2026, India has an estimated 207 million CTV viewers living across approximately 62 to 65 million CTV households, representing a threefold growth since 2022.
CTV growth is rapidly expanding beyond metropolitan areas, with rural CTV audiences more than doubling with a 110% year-on-year growth rate, alongside strong gains in small towns and mini-metros.
Smart TVs serve as the primary gateway, with 82% of users accessing streaming content through built-in applications on their smart television sets rather than using external devices or set-top boxes.
