Youtube Consumption On CTV Jumps By 132% In 2 Years: Report

Connected TV (CTV) is rapidly transforming how Indian audiences consume video content, becoming a dominant platform for viewers, particularly younger demographics, so much so that YouTube consumption on CTV in the country has skyrocketed from 15 billion hours to over 35 billion hours between August 2022 and August 2024, according to Comscore’s latest report shared with e4m.

The surge in YouTube videos streamed on CTV has been even more striking, with a 246 per cent increase during the same period, as the State of Social Media 2024 report revealed.

These trends reflect India’s fast-changing ad landscape which is increasingly shifting towards digital platforms such as YouTube, Google and Meta which tapped more than half of the country’s ad spend.

Brands Eye Opportunities On CTV

The rising viewership on CTV is reshaping advertising strategies, offering brands a chance to deliver TV-like promotions with greater targeting precision and cost efficiency compared to traditional TV.

“TV ads remain among the most effective formats for brand recall and consumer response. YouTube’s growing connected TV ad options offer brands an opportunity to achieve TV-like reach through digital ad targeting,” an expert noted.

He added, “As YouTube enhances its CTV advertising tools, brands should explore how this medium can fit into their strategies to engage the expanding CTV audience effectively.”

According to a study by VDO.ai, nearly 48 per cent of Indian viewers actively search for products after encountering CTV ads, underscoring the platform’s potential for driving consumer action.

Additionally, Indian households spend over three hours daily on smart TVs, with family-oriented streaming often occurring during dinner time—a prime window for advertisers. Research also indicates that 60-second ads capture the highest attention spans among viewers.

India’s CTV Boom

India’s CTV adoption is on a meteoric rise, positioning the market to become the third-largest globally by 2024. The number of CTV users has surged from 5 million in 2020 to a projected 40 million by 2025, driven by factors such as improved internet connectivity, affordable smart TVs, competitive content pricing, and changing viewer preferences.

“With over 32 million Indian households on Connected TV, the platform offers brands a powerful way to reach affluent audiences,” an industry expert shared. “Targeting based on screen size and combining digital precision with TV’s storytelling strength can help brands achieve both marketing and business objectives.”