CTV 101 — Advertiser / Brand
You're buying CTV media for your brand. Start here.
Connected TV ads put your brand on the biggest screen in the house — JioHotstar, Hotstar, Sony LIV, FAST channels, YouTube on TV. The mechanics are different from search or social: you buy through deal IDs or open auction, you measure differently, and India CPMs vary from Rs 150 to Rs 500+ depending on inventory. These six concepts cover what to grasp in your first week.
Five platforms account for ~90% of premium India CTV inventory: JioHotstar, Sony LIV, Zee5, JioCinema CTV, and YouTube on TV. Each sells differently — some only via direct deals, some via PMP, some open auction. Knowing the inventory map saves a quarter of wasted RFPs.
India CTV CPMs range from Rs 150 (open auction display-only) to Rs 800+ (JioHotstar IPL primetime). Most premium video sits Rs 250–Rs 500. Brand category, daypart, format, and deal type each move the price. Get the benchmarks before you build a media plan.
Demographic and geographic targeting work everywhere. Behavioural and look-alike work where platform data is rich (JioHotstar, Amazon DSP via Fire TV). Cookie-style targeting doesn't apply — CTV uses device IDs and household-level signals. Know what's possible before you brief the agency.
There's no BARC for CTV in India. You measure with platform reports, third-party verification (IAS, DoubleVerify), brand lift studies, and incrementality tests. Each has gaps. Get the measurement stack right at brief stage — you can't add measurement after the campaign ships.
A deal ID is a private channel between a buyer and a publisher — it gives you guaranteed inventory access, negotiated CPM, and audience guarantees that open auction can't deliver. For premium India CTV (JioHotstar primetime, IPL, Sony LIV cricket) you essentially need a deal ID to win.
DV360 is the default — only way into YouTube on TV, deepest India inventory access. Amazon DSP for Fire TV and shopper-data brands. Trade Desk for Google-independent buying and UID2 identity. Most India CTV plans use DV360 + one other; pick by inventory and identity needs.
Next step
Advertiser Readiness Framework
Evaluate your India CTV buying setup, DSP configuration, deal access, and measurement stack against best practice. 20 questions, scored output.
Open the framework →