India CTV ad spend jumps 42% to INR 9,900 crore as retail and D2C brands shift to connected TV

A FICCI-EY report shows brands like Croma, TBZ and Policybazaar moving television budgets to connected TV for targeted reach. India has ~40 million active CTVs and 68 million connected TV users in 2025, with broadband projected to hit 94 million by 2028. CTV campaigns are showing a 3% lift in ad awareness and purchase intent.

— Source publishedTue, 30 Jun, 2026, 12:08 IST·First seen Tue, 30 Jun, 2026, 15:12 IST·Source ET Brand Equity

What happened

FICCI-EY report shows India CTV advertising growing 42% to INR 9,900 crore as retail, D2C, jewellery, fintech and real estate brands like Croma, TBZ and

Key facts

  • 40 million active CTVs in 2025
  • CTV ad revenue INR 9,900 crore (up 42%)
  • 94 million broadband by 2028
  • 68 million connected TV users
  • 3% lift in ad awareness/purchase intent

Why this matters

The rapid migration of brand TV budgets to connected TV opens M&A and partnership opportunities in CTV adtech, measurement, and targeted retail-media platforms riding India's broadband expansion.

What to watch

  • Broadband subscriber growth tracking toward 94M target by 2028
  • Emergence of a standardized CTV measurement currency in India
  • Quarterly CTV CPM trends signaling supply scarcity or oversupply
  • Linear TV budget reallocation announcements from large advertisers
  • Entry/expansion moves by Google, Amazon, Trade Desk in Indian CTV programmatic
  • Shoppable CTV format adoption and reported conversion lift beyond the 3% intent benchmark
  • Build CTV inventory partnerships with major OEMs/OTT apps before CPMs inflate
  • Develop closed-loop attribution linking CTV exposure to on-site and in-store conversions
  • Bundle CTV into retail-media network offerings for endemic D2C and category brands
  • Pilot shoppable/QR-enabled CTV formats to capture lower-funnel intent
  • Negotiate cross-screen frequency management to avoid ad fatigue as users span apps

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