In India CTV, the same brand's budget might flow through three different routes: a direct IO negotiated by their media agency's investment team, a PMP set up by their agency trading desk (Xaxis, PMX), or a self-serve DV360 campaign run by the brand's in-house digital team. Each route has different decision-makers, timelines, minimum spends, and data access. Understanding the difference is critical for publishers trying to develop revenue, and for brands trying to ensure their various buying routes aren't working at cross-purposes.
Agency-traded programmatic: how it works
The majority of India CTV programmatic spend flows through agency trading desks. The process:
- Brand approves annual media plan with agency. CTV allocation is typically part of a digital video budget.
- Agency investment team negotiates direct IO packages with major publishers (JioHotstar, SonyLIV). This is separate from programmatic.
- Agency trading desk (Xaxis/PMX) activates programmatic component: sets up DV360 campaigns, activates deal IDs from publishers, manages open auction buys.
- Campaign performance data flows to agency. Brand typically receives a weekly or monthly report — not real-time access to raw data.
The key implication: the brand does not directly control the programmatic execution. The agency's trading desk makes bid strategy, pacing, and optimisation decisions. Brands who want transparency into these decisions need to negotiate explicit data access rights in their agency contract.
Direct brand programmatic: the growing in-house model
A growing number of India brands — particularly D2C, fintech, and new-age consumer companies — operate DV360 or Google Ads in-house, directly trading their own programmatic. For CTV specifically:
- YouTube CTV is accessible directly through Google Ads (simpler) or DV360 (more control) without an agency relationship
- Third-party CTV PMP deals require a DSP seat — which typically needs an agency relationship or a direct contract with Google/TTD — but some large brands have direct seats
- Amazon DSP is primarily managed-service in India, so in-house teams cannot self-serve Amazon CTV without Amazon's managed team involvement
What publishers should know about each route
Agency-traded deals: Higher volume, more process. Deal IDs need to be in the SSP's system, activated in the agency's DSP seat, and confirmed working before the campaign flight. The publisher's point of contact is the SSP account manager and the agency trading desk contact — not the brand directly. Payment terms are typically 60–90 days through the agency.
Direct brand deals: Smaller volume, faster decisions. D2C brands running their own DV360 can activate a deal ID the same day they receive it, without agency approval cycles. Payment may come from the brand directly rather than through an agency. These buyers are often more willing to test new publishers with smaller budgets.
The data ownership question
Agency-traded programmatic creates a structural data access issue: the DV360 seat is owned by the agency (or the holding company trading desk), not the brand. Campaign data — including audience insights, site-level performance, and frequency distribution — lives in the agency's DV360 account.
India brands who have not explicitly negotiated data ownership rights in their agency contracts may find that when they change agencies, they cannot take historical DV360 campaign data with them. For CTV specifically, where frequency and reach data is critical for planning, this matters.
The solution: brands should negotiate for a dedicated DV360 seat in their own name (not the agency's), with the agency granted access as a partner. This ensures data portability if the agency relationship changes.