CTV adds 35 million viewers as India’s media mix goes cross-platform: Kantar Report

India’s media landscape is rapidly evolving, with digital consumption growing sharply across age, gender, and geography. While Linear TV still commands strong reach, the rise of digital-only users and Connected TV signals a shift, especially among younger, male and rural audiences. These trends highlight the need for inclusive, nuanced, and audience-responsive media strategies across platforms.

As per Kantar India's Media Compass report, Linear TV still dominates but CTV adds 35 million new viewers. The report highlights that while 58% Indians still watch linear TV every month, Connected TV (CTV) has emerged as a premium channel, with 35 million incremental viewers, offering advertisers a high-value opportunity.

In addition to this, one in four Indians are now digital-only as 23% of Indians are digital-only users. They access the internet but do not watch Linear TV. This marks a pivotal shift in how India consumes content, especially the younger and rural audience. Linear TV continues to have a balanced gender viewership. However, both Digital-only users and CTV viewers skew 57% male, underlining the importance of inclusive content strategies in these domains.

Furthermore, media habits are sharply split by age. As per the report, 15–34-year-olds prefer Digital (55%), OTT (55%) and social media (57%). Meanwhile, 45+ year old audiences remain over-indexed on Linear TV (44%) as compared to internet usage, highlighting the need for age-responsive media planning.

Rural India is a media powerhouse with digital-only (74%) and Linear TV viewers (75%) are widely present in rural areas, breaking old assumptions. Even CTV now reaches both urban and rural audiences equally, showing it’s not just a metro trend anymore.

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Puneet Avasthi, Director, Specialist Businesses, Insights Division- South Asia, Kantar, said, “In today’s fragmented and fast-evolving media landscape, brands are under pressure to make every media rupee count. Yet, most decisions are still being made using outdated or incomplete data, leading to suboptimal media planning and missed connections with consumers. Media Compass 2025 aims to correct this and equip advertisers with timely, in-depth insights across platforms- enabling smarter media planning, stronger audience engagement and sharper targeting for maximum impact.”

When it comes to socio-economic segments, digital-only users are over-indexed in lower NCCS groups, showing digital’s role in democratizing access. Incremental CTV viewers are highly concentrated in NCCS A, reinforcing its position as a premium medium.

Kantar India's Media Compass report offers a 360-degree view of Indian consumers media consumption across TV, print and digital platforms. With a rolling annual sample of 87,000 consumers and quarterly reporting, Media Compass provides a comprehensive track of the media eco-system.

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