Pre-roll is the most common CTV ad format — a video ad that plays before the content a viewer has chosen to watch. On India's major AVOD platforms (JioCinema, Hotstar free tier), pre-roll is non-skippable: the viewer must watch the full ad before content begins. On YouTube CTV, pre-roll follows the TrueView model — the viewer can skip after 5 seconds.
- Completion rates: Non-skippable CTV pre-roll delivers 88–95% completion, far above digital equivalents.
- Standard lengths: 15 and 30 seconds. JioCinema and Hotstar both accept both lengths.
- CPMs: JioCinema Rs 150–350 (standard), Rs 400–600+ (IPL). Hotstar Rs 120–300 (standard). YouTube CTV Rs 30–120 (skippable TrueView).
- Buying: JioCinema — direct only via Jio Ads. Hotstar — primarily direct, limited programmatic. YouTube CTV — fully programmatic via DV360 or Google Ads.
Pre-roll is delivered via VAST. On JioCinema and Hotstar, SSAI means third-party tracking pixels cannot fire client-side — platform reporting is the source of truth for impression and completion measurement.
Full guide
For a complete explanation, read: What is pre-roll advertising on CTV? How it works and India platform guide