YouTube Was Streamed By Over 55 Million People In India: Google

Highlighting the tremendous growth in Connected TV (CTV) adoption, Google India has said that its video streaming service YouTube was streamed by over 55 million people in India in December 2021 alone. This, the tech giant said, is a growth of 2.7X in six months.

"In December 2021 alone, over 55 million people in India streamed YouTube on their TVs — a growth of over 2.7X in six months. This video consumption trend is likely to continue, given that CTV penetration in India is expected to double by 2025," Google said in a blog.

"This CTV viewing trend presents key opportunities for brands to connect with hard-to-reach TV audiences, engage people across streaming services, and lift brand performance to grow bottom lines, it added. The blog also pointed out that leading brands in India have all used CTV advertising to reach relevant audiences and drive results,” read the blog. 

CTV, the blog said, is a key that helps brands open doors to previously hard-to-reach TV audiences. "These include those who don’t watch broadcast or cable TV often, or at all, and who’s turned to stream video content on the big screen at home. Video action campaigns, which run on CTV, and YouTube CTV Masthead, are some ways brands can connect with these hard-to-reach TV audiences and India’s growing CTV users."

According to Google, the massive shift toward CTV also comes at a time when streaming entertainment is popular, and people are watching content from various streaming platforms, including YouTube and over-the-top (OTT) services, on CTV. "This video consumption trend presents an opportunity for brands to scale a single CTV campaign across different streaming platforms, and to calibrate its frequency across them so that it connects with audiences thoughtfully across the various streaming services they use."

The blog also states that CTV’s immersive viewing experience, which includes bigger screens, better audio, and control over what’s on screen, means its audiences are more engaged and emotionally invested. "Indeed, people are watching video content on CTV that’s 2X longer than what’s viewed on desktop and mobile," it stated.