India's connected TV households grew from roughly 30 million in 2020 to an estimated 75 million in 2025. Six structural factors are responsible — they operate simultaneously and reinforce each other.
- Affordable smart TVs: Entry-level Android TVs now cost ₹8,000–12,000. Smart TV has become the default replacement TV at the mass-market price point — CTV household growth happens passively every time an old TV is replaced, without consumers specifically choosing CTV.
- JioFiber broadband: JioFiber's ~13M home subscribers receive JioHotstar All Access bundled with their plan. This wires the most valuable CTV households — metro, SEC A/B, high-bandwidth — into active streaming on connected TV screens.
- Jio 4G/5G mobile broadband: India's mobile data costs ₹0.5–1/GB, making it economically viable to connect a smart TV via mobile hotspot in Tier 2/3 cities where fiber hasn't reached. This "mobile-broadband CTV" segment is large and growing.
- OTT-telco bundling: Jio mobile plans above ₹299/month include JioHotstar; Airtel plans bundle streaming access. Millions became streaming subscribers through their telecom bill without a separate content purchase decision.
- IPL and live sports: IPL's annual tournament motivates households to set up streaming on their smart TV for the first time, drives JioHotstar subscription upgrades to TV-screen entitlement, and builds the streaming-on-TV habit that persists year-round.
- Post-COVID habits: Lockdowns normalised family streaming on connected TV screens and created habitual CTV viewers who have maintained the behaviour since 2021.
The key advertiser implication: India CTV is growing in both premium (metro, SEC A/B, JioFiber-connected) and mass-market (Tier 2/3, mobile-broadband, FAST-heavy) directions simultaneously, creating two distinct audience segments with different CPMs, inventory types, and creative requirements.
Related questions
- How big is the CTV market in India?
- How does India CTV compare to global CTV markets?
- What CTV platforms are available in India?
- Who watches CTV in India?
For a full breakdown, see the India CTV growth drivers knowledge base article.