India CTV advertising reaches viewers across a range of device types — smart TVs built-in, streaming sticks plugged into older TVs, and broadband set-top boxes that double as streaming devices. Each device type has a different audience profile, a different ad delivery mechanism, and different implications for targeting and measurement. Understanding the India CTV device landscape prevents misaligned expectations about reach, verification, and which platforms are accessible from which devices.
Smart TVs: the dominant CTV device
Smart TVs with built-in streaming capability are the primary India CTV device. India has an estimated 35–40 million active smart TVs as of 2025-26, growing at 15–20% annually. The major OEM brands and their approximate India market share: Samsung (30–35%, Tizen OS), LG (10–15%, webOS), Sony (8–12%, Google TV/Android TV), TCL (8–10%, Android TV), Vu (5–7%, Android TV), OnePlus/Realme/MI (growing Android TV segment, combined 10–15%). Samsung's Tizen OS is the only major smart TV OS in India that is not based on Android TV — this matters for app availability and ad delivery mechanisms.
Amazon Fire TV Stick: the streaming stick market
The Amazon Fire TV Stick (and Fire TV Cube) converts any TV with an HDMI port into a connected TV. India has an estimated 8–12 million active Fire TV devices — a significant installed base concentrated in households with older TVs or those who prefer Amazon's content ecosystem. Fire TV Stick users tend to be tech-forward, urban, and higher-income — they actively chose to add streaming capability to their TV, which is a stronger behaviour signal than passive smart TV ownership. Amazon DSP provides programmatic access to Fire TV advertising.
Jio STB and JioFiber devices
Jio Fiber set-top boxes combine IPTV linear channels and OTT streaming app access in a single device. JioFiber had approximately 10–12 million subscribers as of 2025, with the STB as the primary living room device for these households. The Jio STB provides access to JioHotstar, YouTube, and other streaming apps alongside linear TV channels. Advertising on JioHotstar via a Jio STB is tracked as JioHotstar CTV inventory; advertising on linear channels via Jio's IPTV is bought through Jio Ads as addressable IPTV inventory.
Android TV ecosystem
Most non-Samsung smart TVs in India run Android TV (or its successor, Google TV). Android TV provides access to the Google Play Store, including JioHotstar, SonyLIV, Zee5, YouTube, and Netflix. From an advertising perspective, Android TV is a device OS rather than an ad platform — advertising on Android TV is done through the streaming apps installed on it (JioHotstar direct deal, YouTube CTV via DV360), not through Google's Android TV ad product directly. Google TV (on newer Sony and select TCL models) adds a home screen with Google content recommendations that can be sponsored.
Chromecast and Apple TV
Chromecast (Google) and Apple TV are present in India but represent a small, high-income audience segment. Chromecast primarily mirrors mobile content to the TV — advertising on Chromecast-cast content is handled through the mobile app's ad delivery. Apple TV has negligible India market share. Neither device represents a meaningful separate buying opportunity for most India CTV campaigns.
Device implications for advertisers
Smart TV OEM platforms (Samsung Ads, LG Ads) are only accessible on their respective OEM devices. JioHotstar inventory reaches viewers on smart TVs, Fire TV Sticks, Jio STBs, and mobile — the device type breakdown is available in platform reporting but cannot be targeted separately in most standard buys. YouTube CTV, selected as Connected TV device type in DV360, reaches smart TVs and streaming sticks but not mobile — DV360 device targeting is the cleanest way to ensure TV-screen-only delivery.