A demand-side platform (DSP) is the software layer through which advertisers and agencies bid on programmatic CTV inventory. In India, the dominant CTV DSPs are DV360 (Google) and The Trade Desk, though a handful of regional platforms have meaningful roles for specific use cases. The choice of DSP determines which inventory sources you can reach, what audience data you can activate, how you manage brand safety, and how well you can measure outcomes in the India market.
What a DSP does in CTV buying
A DSP connects to supply-side platforms (SSPs) and ad exchanges via OpenRTB, receives bid requests from publishers' CTV inventory, evaluates each impression against campaign targeting parameters, and submits a bid in real time within the auction window (150–200ms for CTV). The DSP handles:
- Inventory access: Direct SSP integrations and open exchange connections. The depth of SSP partnerships determines which publishers you can reach.
- Audience targeting: First-party data onboarding, third-party segment activation, IP-based household targeting, and contextual targeting.
- Bid management: Automated bidding algorithms optimising toward campaign KPIs — CPM efficiency, reach, frequency, or outcome-based signals.
- Deal management: Activating PMP deal IDs, programmatic guaranteed (PG) deals, and preferred deals against specific publishers.
- Measurement integration: Passing impression data to verification vendors (IAS, DoubleVerify) and measurement platforms (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Nielsen).
- Reporting: View-through attribution windows, delivery metrics, audience reach and frequency, and creative performance.
The two dominant DSPs for India CTV
DV360 (Display & Video 360)
DV360 is Google's enterprise DSP and the most-used platform for CTV buying in India by volume. Its primary advantages in the India context:
- JioHotstar inventory: JioHotstar (India's largest CTV inventory source) runs on Google Ad Manager. DV360 buyers have the deepest and most reliable access to JioHotstar programmatic inventory, including live sports inventory when available programmatically.
- YouTube CTV: YouTube on connected TVs is accessible exclusively through DV360/Google Ads. For brands who count YouTube TV viewing as CTV, DV360 is the only path.
- Google audience signals: Affinity and in-market audiences built from Google Search, Maps, and Play data — the most comprehensive audience graph available in India at scale.
- Campaign Manager integration: For agencies running cross-channel campaigns, DV360 + Campaign Manager 360 (CM360) provides unified ad serving and attribution across display, video, and CTV.
DV360's limitations: it is a Google-walled ecosystem. Inventory outside Google's supply chain (Magnite, PubMatic direct deals, SpringServe-powered publishers) is accessible but with variable depth. It is not optimal for buyers who want aggressive cross-SSP comparison or maximum open exchange competition.
The Trade Desk (TTD)
The Trade Desk is the dominant independent DSP globally and has a significant and growing presence in India CTV buying, particularly among large agency holding groups (WPP, Publicis, IPG) and sophisticated in-house programmatic teams. Its advantages:
- SSP-agnostic access: Deep integrations with Magnite, PubMatic, Xandr, and other SSPs that supply SonyLIV, Zee5, Voot/Colors, and FAST channel inventory. For buyers who want to maximise competition across India's SSP landscape, TTD is often more effective than DV360 outside the Google supply chain.
- UID2.0: The Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0 identity framework provides a privacy-forward alternative to cookies for cross-device audience matching. Adoption in India is early-stage but growing among publisher SSP partners.
- Forecasting and planning tools: TTD's Koa AI and reach forecasting tools are more sophisticated than DV360's for pure programmatic planning use cases.
- Transparent pricing: TTD's flat fee model (typically 20% of media spend) is more predictable than DV360's variable take rate, which some buyers find more expensive at scale.
TTD's limitation in India: weaker access to JioHotstar programmatic inventory compared to DV360, given JioHotstar's GAM infrastructure. For brands where JioHotstar is a must-have, TTD is typically used alongside DV360, not as a replacement.
Regional and specialist DSPs
Beyond the two global leaders, several platforms are used for specific India CTV buying scenarios:
- InMobi DSP: Strong for mobile-to-CTV cross-screen campaigns. InMobi has a significant India mobile audience graph and is used by brands wanting to connect CTV reach with mobile retargeting — particularly relevant for app-install or mobile commerce campaigns where the app usage data resides on mobile.
- Verizon Media / Yahoo DSP: Limited India-specific CTV inventory access. Used by some global accounts with consolidated buying requirements but not a primary India CTV platform.
- Amazon DSP: Relevant where Amazon Prime Video CTV inventory is a campaign priority. Amazon DSP is the primary (often exclusive) route to Prime Video CTV placements. Also activates Amazon purchase signals for retail brands — relevant for FMCG and e-commerce advertisers using CTV for consideration or purchase intent campaigns.
- Xandr (Microsoft): Used by some agency trading desks with Xandr seat arrangements, primarily for open exchange buying. Not a leading platform for India-specific CTV strategy but provides access to some publisher inventory not on DV360 or TTD.
What to evaluate when choosing a DSP for India CTV
The right DSP depends on where your target inventory lives and what data you need to activate:
- Inventory access: Map your target publishers to their SSP infrastructure. JioHotstar → DV360 preferred. SonyLIV, Zee5, FAST → TTD or DV360 both viable. Amazon Prime → Amazon DSP only. YouTube CTV → DV360 only.
- Audience data: If your first-party data is in Google's ecosystem (Firebase, Google Analytics), DV360 activation is simpler. If your data is in a CDP (Segment, mParticle), TTD's open data onboarding may be easier.
- Deal activation: Both DV360 and TTD support PMP deal IDs. Confirm with the publisher's SSP which DSP has an active seat and preferred integration before negotiating a deal.
- Measurement requirements: DV360 integrates natively with CM360 for cross-channel measurement. TTD integrates with most third-party measurement vendors. If you run Nielsen DAR or are using IAS for brand safety, confirm the integration is available on your chosen DSP before campaign launch.
- Team expertise: Agency trading desks in India are predominantly DV360-certified. In-house teams with programmatic expertise often prefer TTD for its transparency and reporting depth. Factor in who will manage the platform day-to-day.
For most India CTV campaigns, the practical answer is: use DV360 for JioHotstar and YouTube CTV; use TTD (or DV360) for the rest of the India CTV supply landscape. Large-scale buyers often run both simultaneously, allocating budget based on which DSP delivers more efficient reach against each publisher.