Buying CTV through an agency trading desk or going directly to publishers (or buying self-serve via a DSP) is one of the first decisions India CTV advertisers face. Each route has genuine trade-offs. Agency route: Established agency trading desks (GroupM Xaxis, Publicis Performics, IPG Kinesso) have pre-negotiated PMP deals with JioCinema, JioHotstar, and SonyLIV at rates individual advertisers cannot access. They have CTV-trained specialists, cross-publisher planning tools, and publisher relationships that resolve delivery issues faster. The cost: agency fees (typically 10-15% of media spend) plus trading desk margin, and reduced transparency on the supply chain and actual CPMs paid. Direct/self-serve route: Buying through DV360 or The Trade Desk directly (or via a transparent independent desk) gives full log-level data visibility, known fees, and control over bidding strategy. The cost: you need in-house DSP expertise or a specialist independent desk, and your individual scale may limit your ability to negotiate PMP floor prices.
Recommended decision framework: under INR 20 lakh spend on CTV, use publisher managed service (direct IO) — the complexity of programmatic is not justified at small scale. INR 20-100 lakh: consider an independent specialist trading desk with transparent fee structure. Above INR 1 crore: agency trading desk scale makes sense for access to preferred inventory, but negotiate an open-book fee agreement. At any scale: ask for post-campaign log-level reporting, IVT report from a third-party verifier, and placement-level breakdowns.
Full guide
For a complete explanation, read: Agency vs direct CTV buying in India: how to choose the right route to market