Instream video plays inside a video player — before, during, or after content the viewer has chosen to watch. Outstream video plays in non-video environments: news articles, social feeds, display slots. On CTV, virtually all video advertising is instream — the platform is a video player, so all ads are in a video context.
Why it matters: When a vendor mentions outstream CTV, they typically mean home screen or launcher video ads — ads that play before the viewer has chosen content. These are display-adjacent placements with different attention profiles than content-adjacent instream.
- Instream CTV VCR: 85–95% non-skippable
- Home screen / launcher video (outstream-adjacent): 50–70% — viewer is in browse mode, less committed
For India CTV, JioCinema and Hotstar are instream-only environments. Samsung Ads home screen video banners are the closest outstream-adjacent CTV format available in India. Do not apply instream completion benchmarks to home screen video placements — they are different viewer intent states.
Full guide
For a complete explanation, read: Instream vs outstream video on CTV: what the difference means for India buyers