CTV ad revenue passes through multiple parties before reaching the content owner. The platform or app operator — JioHotstar, Zee5, a smart TV OEM — controls the ad stack and viewer relationship. It retains a share of ad revenue before passing the remainder to content owners. Typical platform retention is 30–50% of gross ad revenue, leaving 50–70% for the publisher or content owner.
If a distributor or FAST aggregator sits between the content owner and the platform — routing the content owner's feed into a larger app — the aggregator takes a further 10–20% share, reducing the content owner's net revenue. A publisher going direct to a platform negotiates better terms than one routing through an aggregator.
Programmatic technology fees add another layer of reduction. DSP fees (typically 15–20% of media cost) and SSP fees (10–15% of gross) are deducted before the platform's share is calculated. A publisher receiving 60% of platform net revenue after programmatic fees may be netting 40–50% of what the advertiser originally paid. The highest net yield comes from direct-sold inventory with no programmatic intermediaries — but direct sales requires a sales team and scale that most small publishers do not have.
Content owners with leverage — exclusive IP, high-demand audience segments, multi-platform optionality — negotiate better splits. Publishers should push for audit rights on revenue reporting and clarify GST treatment in all rev share agreements.
Full guide
For a complete explanation, read: CTV revenue share models: how publishers, platforms, and distributors split ad revenue