The Connected TV Era: 207 Million Viewers Are Redefining India’s Television Market

Published on: August 20, 2026

Mumbai, 20 August 2026 – India’s Connected TV audience has surged 3X since 2022 to 207 million  viewers across 62-65 million households, signalling a major shift in how advertisers need to plan  for television. 

The findings come from The Connected TV Era, a new report from WPP Media and The Trade Desk,  with research conducted by Ormax Media. Drawing on more than 3,000 verified urban CTV users  and over 12,000 CTV and OTT viewers, it provides one of the most comprehensive views of big screen viewing behaviour in India to date. 

Beyond scale, the research challenges assumptions shaping television planning and calls for a new  approach to reach, attention and measurement. Key findings include: 

• CTV advertising is turning attention into action. Across all CTV viewers surveyed, 83% seek more  information after seeing an ad, rising to 89% among premium viewers. The findings point to CTV’s  ability to turn big screen attention into meaningful consumer action. 
• Gen Z CTV viewers consume content primarily across two screens, spending close to 3.1 hours  a day on CTV. CTV is increasingly becoming an active screen for Gen Z’s content consumption.  They spend over 3 hours a day on CTV, watching a range of programs from web series to sports  and films. As a lean-back environment where viewers are deeply engaged with content, CTV can 

become the foundation of a connected omnichannel strategy – building attention on the biggest  screen before reinforcing those messages consistently across the consumer journey. 

• Premium CTV viewers combine attention with spending power. This premium urban audience of  21 million over indexes across financial products, travel, home furnishings, paid shopping  memberships, lounge access, fitness and credit card ownership, making it particularly valuable to  advertisers seeking high value consumers. 
• One CTV impression now reaches an average of 2.5 people. More than 80% of viewing happens  with family or others, while only 19% typically watch alone. Shared viewing is changing how  advertisers should assess reach, frequency and household impact. 
• CTV growth is accelerating beyond India’s largest cities. Rural CTV viewership grew 110% year  on year. Small towns grew 55% and mini-metros 46%, against 21% in metros, pointing to where the  next phase of growth is emerging. 

Taken together, the findings underline the need for advertisers to plan CTV as a distinct medium,  rather than as an extension of linear television or online video. 

Rajiv Rajagopal, Senior Vice President, Head – Advanced TV, Media Solutions WPP Media, said:  “India’s television market has reached an inflection point. The audience is not leaving the big  screen, but the way it watches is changing. CTV is bringing together younger viewers, shared  household attention and audiences moving beyond linear television. Media plans now need to  reflect that reality.” 

Tejinder Gill, Vice President, Business Development, India & South East Asia, The Trade Desk,  said: “The next phase of CTV will not be won by simply shifting television budgets from one screen  to another. It will be won by using data to reach the right households, manage frequency and  understand whether big screen attention led to a real business outcome. That is the reset  advertisers need to make.” 

That planning reset includes using addressable CTV to identify households missed by linear  television, manage exposure across connected devices and link big-screen advertising to  outcomes such as brand lift, online engagement, store visits and retail sales. 

The full report is available for download, here: 

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