India has an estimated 45–55 million CTV households as of 2025–2026, out of approximately 310 million total TV households. Monthly-active CTV households — those that stream regularly — are closer to 30–40 million. Three forces drive this growth: JioFiber and Airtel broadband expansion (wired home internet at ₹400–700/month in Tier 2 cities), falling smart TV prices (₹12,000 for 32-inch, driving 12–15 million annual shipments), and premium OTT content — particularly IPL live streaming — that converted smart TV owners into regular streamers.
Where is India CTV growth coming from?
The first wave (2018–2021) was top-8-city, SEC A, English-proficient households. The current wave (2022–2026) is Tier 2 and Tier 3 city-led. JioFiber expansion and regional language content on Zee5, SonyLIV, and JioHotstar are bringing CTV into Lucknow, Coimbatore, Nagpur, and Bhopal. This audience is more likely on AVOD than SVOD and more likely to be on an Indian OEM smart TV than on Android TV — meaning lower programmatic targetability but much larger absolute reach numbers.
What does this trajectory mean for advertisers?
India CTV is in a 5-year growth window — 45–55 million households is a foundation, not a ceiling. At current rates, 80–100 million CTV households is plausible by 2028–2030. Brands building CTV buying capability now are entering ahead of the demand surge. CTV CPMs in India are currently below their equilibrium — inventory still outpaces buyer demand in many segments.
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