Which IAB standards apply to India CTV advertising?

The core IAB standards governing India CTV advertising: (1) VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) — defines how video ads are delivered, tracked, and reported. VAST 3.0 minimum, VAST 4.x for advanced use cases. (2) OpenRTB — defines the real-time bidding protocol between SSPs and DSPs. OpenRTB 2.5/2.6 specify the CTV-relevant fields (device.devicetype=3, imp.video, app.bundle). (3) SIMID (Secure Interactive Media Interface Definition) — the standard for interactive CTV creatives that communicate with the player without VPAID’s security risks. (4) app-ads.txt — CTV equivalent of ads.txt; publishers declare authorised sellers in an app-ads.txt file to prevent inventory spoofing. (5) IAB Content Taxonomy — standardised content categories used for brand safety and contextual targeting across publishers.

app-ads.txt is the IAB’s authorised sellers declaration for mobile and CTV app inventory. A CTV publisher lists all SSPs and direct buyers authorised to sell its inventory in the app-ads.txt file, hosted on the publisher’s domain. DSPs crawl app-ads.txt files and flag or block bid requests from sellers not on the authorised list — this prevents SSPs or ad networks from selling spoofed or unauthorised CTV inventory. In India CTV, app-ads.txt adoption is uneven: JioHotstar, Sony LIV, and Zee5 maintain app-ads.txt files; many smaller regional CTV apps do not. Buying CTV inventory without app-ads.txt verification increases the risk of paying for spoofed or misrepresented supply. Verify before adding any new India CTV publisher to a programmatic campaign.

SIMID (Secure Interactive Media Interface Definition) is the IAB standard replacing VPAID for interactive CTV ads. VPAID was a JavaScript API that ran inside the video player — it was powerful but created security risks, latency, and compatibility problems. SIMID uses a secure iframe-based communication layer between the creative and the player, enabling interactive overlays, QR codes, and branched narratives without VPAID’s risks. SIMID availability in India CTV is limited in 2026: JioHotstar and YouTube on TV support SIMID-compatible interactive formats; most other India CTV publishers are still VAST 3.0 only. If an RFP for interactive CTV in India returns SIMID support claims from smaller publishers, verify with a test tag before committing budget.