Programmatic CTV in India Status Check

Programmatic CTV in India Status Check: Early Days with Massive Potential

Three weeks ago, I attended a media summit in Mumbai where I met Priya, a programmatic buying specialist at a leading advertising agency. She shared her frustration with the current state of CTV programmatic buying in India, explaining how her team was still manually negotiating inventory deals with streaming platforms while their counterparts in the US were running sophisticated automated campaigns. Her experience highlighted a stark reality—India's programmatic CTV market is in its nascent stages, but the foundation for explosive growth is being laid by major players.

Priya's challenges reflect the broader state of programmatic Connected TV advertising in India, where traditional television still dominates advertising spend but digital transformation is accelerating rapidly. The market stands at an inflection point where technological infrastructure, consumer behavior shifts, and platform maturity are converging to create unprecedented opportunities for automated advertising innovation.

The Indian programmatic CTV landscape represents what digital advertising evolution looks like in emerging markets—characterized by rapid technological adoption, unique consumer behaviors, and market dynamics that differ significantly from Western markets. Understanding these nuances is crucial for global brands and local advertisers seeking to capitalize on India's streaming revolution.

1. Market Maturity Assessment

India's programmatic CTV market currently operates in what industry analysts characterize as the early adoption phase. While streaming platform penetration has grown exponentially, reaching 394 million users by 2023, the advertising infrastructure supporting automated buying remains underdeveloped compared to mature markets like the United States and United Kingdom.

The technical infrastructure for programmatic CTV requires sophisticated ad servers, real-time bidding capabilities, and audience data management systems that most Indian streaming platforms are still developing. Current programmatic capabilities are limited to basic demographic targeting and time-based placements, lacking the advanced behavioral segmentation and cross-device tracking that define mature programmatic markets.

Consumer viewing patterns in India present unique challenges for programmatic implementation. The prevalence of shared device usage, multi-generational viewing, and diverse language preferences creates complexity in audience identification and targeting that traditional programmatic systems struggle to address. These factors require customized solutions that current technology providers are still developing.

The measurement and attribution capabilities essential for programmatic success remain limited in the Indian market. Most platforms provide basic impression and completion metrics but lack the advanced analytics required for sophisticated campaign optimization. This measurement gap creates hesitation among advertisers accustomed to detailed performance tracking in other digital channels.

2. Major Platform Innovations

Reliance Jio's JioTV platform represents one of the most significant developments in Indian programmatic CTV infrastructure. The platform has invested heavily in audience data capabilities, leveraging Reliance's extensive consumer touchpoints to create sophisticated viewer profiles that enable advanced targeting capabilities. Their programmatic offerings include behavioral targeting, location-based advertising, and cross-platform audience extension.

Disney+ Hotstar has emerged as a programmatic innovation leader through its partnership with international advertising technology providers. The platform offers real-time bidding capabilities for premium content inventory, including live sports and original series. Their programmatic suite includes advanced audience segmentation, creative optimization, and comprehensive measurement solutions that rival international standards.

Tata Play's programmatic initiatives focus on bridging traditional television and streaming advertising through unified audience targeting. Their platform enables advertisers to reach consumers across linear television and streaming content using consistent audience segments and messaging strategies. This integrated approach addresses the unique challenge of India's hybrid viewing ecosystem where consumers regularly switch between traditional and streaming content.

Sony Pictures Networks India has developed programmatic capabilities that emphasize content-contextual targeting alongside audience-based approaches. Their system analyzes program content, viewer sentiment, and engagement patterns to create advertising placements that align with content themes and audience emotional states. This contextual approach generates higher engagement rates while addressing brand safety concerns.

3. Buying Innovation Opportunities

The current limitations in India's programmatic CTV market create significant opportunities for innovation in buying strategies and technological solutions. Forward-thinking agencies and advertisers who invest in understanding and shaping this emerging market will establish competitive advantages as the ecosystem matures.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in programmatic buying are particularly promising in the Indian context. These technologies can address the complexity of multi-language content, diverse viewing behaviors, and fragmented audience data that characterize the Indian market. Early adopters of AI-driven programmatic solutions are achieving superior campaign performance compared to traditional buying approaches.

Cross-platform programmatic strategies that integrate CTV with mobile and digital video advertising represent significant opportunities. India's mobile-first consumer behavior creates unique possibilities for campaigns that follow users across devices and platforms. Programmatic solutions that can unify these touchpoints will enable more effective reach and frequency management.

The integration of e-commerce data with programmatic CTV targeting offers substantial potential in India's rapidly growing online retail market. Platforms that can combine viewing behavior with purchase history and product preferences will create highly effective advertising solutions for consumer brands seeking to drive online and offline sales.

Case Study: Myntra's Programmatic CTV Strategy During Festive Season

Myntra, India's leading fashion e-commerce platform, implemented an innovative programmatic CTV strategy during the 2023 festive season that demonstrated the potential of early-stage programmatic implementation. Facing challenges with traditional CTV buying methods, Myntra partnered with Disney+ Hotstar to develop a customized programmatic solution.

The campaign utilized Myntra's first-party customer data, combined with Hotstar's viewing behavior insights, to create audience segments based on fashion preferences, shopping patterns, and content consumption habits. This integration enabled targeting of fashion-conscious consumers who regularly watched lifestyle and entertainment content, creating highly relevant advertising experiences.

The programmatic approach allowed Myntra to optimize campaigns in real-time based on engagement metrics and subsequent website behavior. The system automatically adjusted bidding strategies, creative selection, and audience targeting based on performance data, achieving 67% higher click-through rates compared to traditional CTV campaigns.

The campaign's success demonstrated the power of programmatic CTV in the Indian market when properly implemented. Myntra achieved 234% higher return on ad spend compared to traditional television advertising, while reducing campaign management overhead by 45%. The integration of e-commerce data with CTV targeting generated insights that informed broader marketing strategy across channels.

The measurement capabilities enabled by programmatic implementation provided Myntra with detailed attribution data that connected CTV exposures to website visits, app downloads, and purchase conversions. This attribution clarity enabled budget optimization and strategic planning that was impossible with traditional CTV buying methods.

Call to Action

Marketing leaders operating in India should begin preparing for programmatic CTV expansion by developing relationships with platforms that demonstrate programmatic capabilities and investing in audience data infrastructure that can support automated buying strategies.

The rapid evolution of India's programmatic CTV market requires continuous monitoring and adaptive strategies. Organizations should establish dedicated teams to track platform developments, test emerging technologies, and build expertise in programmatic buying approaches specific to the Indian market context.

As programmatic CTV capabilities mature in India, the competitive advantage will belong to advertisers who understand the unique characteristics of Indian consumers, content preferences, and viewing behaviors. Early investment in programmatic capabilities and market understanding will position organizations for success as the market reaches full maturity.