What is identity resolution in India CTV advertising?

Identity resolution in CTV is the process of connecting a CTV device (identified by its device advertising ID — GAID, TIFA, AFAI) to a known person or household identity. This connection enables three capabilities: (1) audience targeting — serving ads to a CTV device based on the identity profile linked to that device; (2) frequency management — capping total impressions to a household across multiple devices; (3) attribution — connecting a CTV impression to a conversion that happened on a different device. Without identity resolution, CTV is a reach channel with no audience granularity. With it, CTV becomes addressable — capable of targeting specific audience segments rather than every viewer of a platform.

India CTV identity resolution uses three methods: (1) Deterministic matching — a verified common identifier links CTV and other devices. Example: a Google account signed into both an Android TV and an Android phone links those devices with high confidence. DV360 leverages Google's deterministic identity graph for Android TV devices. (2) Probabilistic matching — devices sharing the same household broadband IP address are inferred to belong to the same household. Less accurate than deterministic; affected by India's dynamic IP assignment. (3) Publisher first-party matching — a subscriber who logs into JioHotstar on both their smart TV and phone is linked within JioHotstar's system. This is the most accurate form of India CTV identity resolution but exists only within the publisher's walled garden.

Four India-specific factors reduce identity resolution accuracy: (1) Device ID gaps — 30–40% of India CTV impressions have zeroed or absent device IDs, making identity resolution impossible for those impressions. (2) Dynamic broadband IPs — Jio Fiber, Airtel Fiber, and BSNL frequently reassign household IPs, breaking probabilistic household matching over time. (3) Shared devices without individual accounts — many India households use Android TV devices signed into a single shared Google account, preventing individual-level identity resolution within the household. (4) Thin telecom data integration — Jio's subscriber identity graph is the richest in India but is primarily accessible only within JioHotstar's direct advertising environment. The result: India CTV identity resolution is most reliable for Google-logged-in Android TV devices and JioHotstar subscribers; it is weakest for non-Google smart TVs and unregistered viewers.