Setting up a CTV campaign in DV360 or The Trade Desk for India requires different configuration from a standard display or mobile video campaign. The device type setting, inventory source selection, deal ID attachment, creative format, and frequency cap all need to be configured specifically for CTV — and India-specific nuances around publisher PMPs, GAID-based targeting, and primetime pacing add another layer. This guide covers the practical setup steps.
DV360: setting up a CTV line item
In DV360, CTV campaigns run as video line items within an insertion order. The critical settings that make a line item "CTV" rather than generic video:
Inventory source: Select "Connected TV" as the environment filter, or apply an app-specific allowlist for India CTV publishers. Without this filter, the line item will serve on mobile and desktop video inventory. The CTV environment filter restricts bids to device type = connected TV (OpenRTB devicetype:3).
Line item type: Use "OTT Video" or "Video" line item type. Do not use display or native line item types for CTV — they cannot deliver video VAST creatives.
Bidding: Set a target CPM or Max CPM bid. For India open programmatic CTV, starting CPMs of ₹300–500 (approximately $3.50–6.00) are competitive for non-premium inventory. For PMP deals, use the CPM agreed in the deal contract as your target bid, with a max bid set 20–30% above to handle first-price dynamics.
Geography: Set India as the target country. DV360 allows state-level targeting for India — use this to target specific states for regional campaigns (e.g., Tamil Nadu + Andhra Pradesh + Telangana for a South India CTV buy).
Device targeting: Within the CTV environment filter, you can further restrict to specific device OS (Android TV, etc.) if needed. Most India CTV buyers leave this open and let inventory quality filters do the work.
The Trade Desk: setting up a CTV ad group
In TTD, CTV campaigns run as ad groups within a campaign. Key settings:
Inventory type: Select "Connected TV" as the channel type. TTD's CTV channel filter maps to OpenRTB devicetype:3 and excludes mobile and desktop inventory.
Ad format: Select "Video" with "In-stream" placement. TTD's CTV video format requires VAST 2.0+ compliant MP4 creatives.
Bidding strategy: TTD's Kokai bidding can auto-optimise CPMs against a target completion rate or a conversion goal. For India CTV, using a target completion rate of 85–90% as the optimisation goal while setting a CPM floor is a reasonable starting configuration.
Private marketplace deals: TTD accesses India CTV inventory from PubMatic, Xandr, MadHouse, and other SSPs. SonyLIV and Zee5 transact CTV PMPs through these SSPs on TTD. JioHotstar's inventory is not available on TTD — that requires DV360.
Targeting settings for India CTV
Standard targeting options available for India CTV in both DV360 and TTD:
| Targeting type | Available on India CTV? | Reliability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic (country/state) | Yes | High | IP-based, accurate at state level |
| Device type (CTV only) | Yes | High | OpenRTB devicetype:3 |
| App bundle (publisher/app allowlist) | Yes | High | Target specific CTV apps by bundle ID |
| Audience (GAID-based) | Yes — partial | Medium | Works on ~60–65% of India CTV devices; OEM devices excluded |
| Content category / genre | Yes — where passed | Medium | Depends on publisher passing IAB content categories in bid request |
| Time of day / daypart | Yes | High | Standard DSP dayparting; India primetime 8–11 PM IST |
| Frequency cap | Yes — household level | Medium | Based on GAID/device IFA; fails on no-IFA devices |
| Third-party audience segments | Limited | Low–medium | India CTV third-party segments thinner than US/EU |
Attaching deal IDs for PMP and PG campaigns
For private marketplace (PMP) campaigns, the publisher or SSP provides a deal ID. In DV360, deal IDs are attached under Inventory → Private Deals. In TTD, under Inventory → My Inventory → Private deals. The deal ID links the line item to the specific publisher's curated CTV inventory.
A common setup error: attaching a deal ID but leaving an open-market CPM bid that is lower than the deal floor. When the deal line item is also bidding on open inventory and the max CPM is below the deal floor, the deal never fills. Set the max CPM bid at or above the deal floor explicitly when the campaign intent is to run on a deal.
For programmatic guaranteed (PG) deals, the delivery is non-auction — the publisher reserves impression volume at a fixed CPM. In DV360, PG deals require explicit activation in the campaign structure and have a different pacing model (you are buying a block of guaranteed impressions, not competing in an auction).
Creative upload requirements for India CTV
Both DV360 and TTD accept VAST tags or direct MP4 uploads for CTV. The practical guidance for India:
- Format: MP4, H.264 codec. Do not use H.265 — device compatibility issues on older Android TV hardware.
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) preferred. 1280×720 (720p) acceptable.
- Bitrate: 2–4 Mbps. Stay at 3.5 Mbps or below for maximum India device compatibility.
- Audio: -24 LUFS normalised. Stereo or mono — avoid surround (5.1) for standard CTV creatives.
- Duration: 15s or 30s. 6s is supported on some platforms. 60s is accepted by publishers for select premium sponsorships but is not a standard programmatic format.
- File size: Under 5MB strongly preferred. JioHotstar has pre-delivery creative caching for SSAI environments that requires creatives under 5MB.
Pacing and frequency cap configuration
India CTV inventory concentrates heavily in primetime (8–11 PM IST). A campaign with even pacing will underspend during the day and then face inventory competition in primetime. The options:
ASAP pacing: The DSP bids aggressively at all available times. This results in daytime delivery at lower CPMs and less primetime reach — suitable for direct-response campaigns prioritising efficiency over premium environment.
Even pacing with daypart targeting: Set the campaign to only serve during target hours (e.g., 6 PM–12 AM IST). This concentrates impressions in the period when CTV viewership is highest and co-viewing multipliers are best — suitable for brand campaigns.
Frequency cap: Set at 2–3 impressions per device per day for brand campaigns. India CTV inventory is concentrated enough that without a frequency cap, a moderate budget campaign can reach the same devices 5–8 times per day during primetime. This wastes budget and irritates viewers. Cap at the device (household) level, not the user level, because CTV device IDs are household-level.
Common CTV campaign setup errors for India
- No device type filter applied. Campaign serves on mobile video and desktop alongside CTV. Results look good (high impressions, low CPM) but CTV delivery fraction is small. Always add the CTV/Connected TV device type filter.
- VPAID creative submitted. No India CTV publisher accepts VPAID. The creative will not serve. Submit MP4 via VAST or a VAST wrapper pointing to an MP4 CDN URL.
- Frequency cap set at user level rather than device level. CTV devices are household-shared. User-level frequency caps do not apply meaningfully on CTV because there is often one GAID per household, not per viewer. Set frequency at the device level.
- Deal ID CPM set below floor. PMP deal never fills because the bid is below the publisher floor. Always set max CPM ≥ deal floor when operating a PMP deal line item.
- No India-specific creative pre-approved with publisher. Many India CTV publishers (especially JioHotstar for IPL) require creative approval 48–72 hours before a campaign goes live. Submitting creatives on day 0 causes delivery gaps on day 1–2.