The Trade Desk (TTD) is one of two dominant DSPs for programmatic CTV buying in India, alongside Google's DV360. While DV360 has the advantage of Google's identity graph and broader agency adoption in India, The Trade Desk offers distinct capabilities that make it the preferred platform for performance-oriented advertisers, independent agencies, and buyers who want more transparent supply chain control. Understanding what TTD offers in India CTV — and where it differs from DV360 — is essential for buyers deciding which platform to use.
The Trade Desk's India CTV inventory access
TTD accesses India CTV inventory primarily through SSP integrations with PubMatic, Magnite, and other programmatic supply partners. This gives TTD buyers access to Zee5, SonyLIV, MX Player, Samsung TV Plus (through Samsung Ads integration), and regional OTT platforms. TTD's OpenPath initiative, which enables direct publisher-to-DSP connections bypassing intermediary SSPs, has some India CTV publisher activations but is less developed than in US markets.
JioHotstar's primary inventory is not accessible through TTD's standard programmatic pipes to the same extent as through DV360. Buyers who need significant JioHotstar scale should evaluate DV360 or JioHotstar direct alongside TTD.
Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) in India CTV
The Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0 is an open identity framework built on hashed email addresses as an alternative to third-party cookies. In India CTV, UID2 adoption is growing but not yet at the scale of Google's identity graph. Where India publishers or data partners have implemented UID2, TTD buyers can use it for first-party data matching and audience targeting. The practical impact: TTD's first-party data activation in India CTV is currently narrower than DV360's, though growing.
TTD's CTV-specific features relevant to India
OpenPath: Direct connections to select publishers bypassing SSP fees. Relevant where India publishers activate OpenPath — buyers get better CPM efficiency on those publishers.
Koa AI bidding: TTD's AI bidding system optimises bids across CTV inventory based on predicted conversion probability. Useful for performance-oriented India CTV buyers where the conversion signal (app install, web event) is available to the TTD system via the advertiser's tracking integration.
Cross-channel identity: TTD's cross-device graph enables frequency management across CTV and mobile within TTD's ecosystem. More useful for advertisers running integrated TTD campaigns across channels than for CTV-only buys.
Supply path transparency controls: TTD provides supply chain visibility tools that let buyers set schain filters, preferred supply paths, and SSP inclusion/exclusion lists. This is useful for India buyers who want to enforce supply chain hygiene beyond what DV360's automated controls offer.
DV360 vs TTD for India CTV: how to choose
| Consideration | Favour DV360 | Favour TTD |
|---|---|---|
| JioHotstar scale | Yes — DV360 has better JioHotstar access | Less critical if Zee5/SonyLIV sufficient |
| Agency ecosystem | GroupM, Publicis, Dentsu India use DV360 primarily | Independent agencies and performance teams prefer TTD |
| First-party data matching | Strong — Google identity graph depth in India | Growing — UID2 less mature in India currently |
| Supply chain transparency | Good automated controls | More granular manual control preferred by specialists |
| Performance optimisation | Strong for Google-ecosystem conversions | Strong for open web and app install conversions |
India CTV campaigns on TTD: practical setup notes
When setting up India CTV campaigns on TTD: set device type targeting to Connected TV and Smart TV (device.devicetype 3 and 7); use the India geography filter for city and state targeting; apply PMP deal IDs for premium publisher access; set a CTV-specific creative flight with 15 or 30-second non-skippable VAST creatives; and integrate conversion tracking via TTD pixel or AppsFlyer/Adjust partnership for performance campaigns. Frequency cap at 3–5 impressions per device per week to avoid overexposure on the smaller India CTV device ID pool.