Abhijeet Rajpurohit, Co-founder and COO of CloudTV, talks about how the rise of connected television is forcing a structural shift in India’s media and advertising ecosystem.
India’s Connected TV landscape stands at a pivotal juncture in 2026, with smart TV penetration surging and AdTech innovations unlocking novel opportunities for brands. It has proven to carve a unique identity for itself especially amidst consumers given its compelling formats including 3D ads, interactive overlays, and full-screen HD stories that integrate seamlessly into programmatic environments in the context of premium content.
The rapid rise of Connected Television is forcing a structural shift in India’s media and advertising ecosystem. What earlier was an extension of traditional television has emerged as a dynamic, data-driven medium-a perfect confluence of content, technology, and commerce. With increasing internet penetration and smart TVs finding their place in every household across India, CTV is well on its course to become a big shaper of how brands engage with audiences. According to a report by WARC Media, Connected TV (CTV) advertising is projected to grow significantly by 2030, with global CTV expected to exceed 40% of total ad spending.
CTV provides consumers with a relaxed viewing experience on larger screens, which guarantees higher viewability rates, longer attention spans, and improved memory recall for brands, in contrast to cluttered mobile and desktop environments. These tools and platforms enable brands to reach consumers in relevant contexts through advanced targeting and data-driven personalization, encouraging interactive ad experiences that drive active engagement rather than passive viewing.
India stands at a critical point of inflection in its CTV and AdTech journey. It is an opportunity- nothing less than a chance to redefine advertising itself, from mass broadcasting to meaningful, measurable, and personalized engagement. Whereas linear TV couldn’t offer addressability, real-time measurement, and precise targeting, CTV does; it helps advertisers connect with the households based on viewing behavior, geography, and preference. This is unlocking newer values for marketers seeking both scale and accountability.
“It is an opportunity- nothing less than a chance to redefine advertising itself, from mass broadcasting to meaningful, measurable, and personalized engagement.” ~ Abhijeet Rajpurohit
The key to this paradigm shift is the diverse and growing content landscape in India. Regional language content, OTT-first content, and FAST channels are keeping audiences engaged. The rise in consumption on various platforms and in varied content forms makes CTV a unique medium for advertisers. It offers the engagement of television along with the performance of digital advertising.
However, to truly maximize India’s CTV market, the future growth trajectory needs to be underscored by a more resilient AdTech stack. Interoperability, measurement, and transparent reporting will be key to instilling trust with advertisers. As the traditional television ad spend has begun to shift to CTV, greater attribution, frequency, and individual measurement will become increasingly important, something that the industry is still evolving on.
A further consideration would be the OEM and operating system platforms. The OEMs and operating systems are making the CTV experience more viable by providing seamless discovery, personalized content curation, and ad experiences on the operating system level. OEMs and operating system players would play an integral part in making the CTV even more viable and scalable.
Looking forward, the future of India’s CTV and AdTech industry is one of collaboration, innovation, and execution at scale. By aligning around a set of agreed standards and sharing a vision for value creation, CTV is on track to be a key part of a strong and growing digital advertising industry in India.