Viewers using both Linear TV and CTV jump to 116 million in Q3 2025: Kantar

India’s media mix is evolving at unprecedented speed as consumers embrace a wider array of platforms and formats, making it essential for advertisers and media planners to stay closely connected to evolving consumer behaviours to optimise their targeting and investment decisions.

Recognising the need for more frequent, up to date intelligence, Kantar’s Media Compass Report brings fresh insights with its Q3 2025 update.

Kantar Media Compass, Q3 2025 Highlights

1. The rapid rise of digital only audiences

Digital only audiences (those who access the internet but do not watch Linear TV) represent 26 percent (313 million) of the 15 plus Indian population as of Q3 2025.

This segment has grown 30 percent in Q3 2025 from its 2024 baseline of 20 percent.

They are over indexed among NCCS C/DE and younger age groups.

2. Linear TV viewers are increasingly watching Connected TV (CTV)

Linear TV viewership saw a marginal dip from 705 million in Q1 2025 to 689 million in Q3 2025.

Viewers who consume content on both LTV and CTV grew to 116 million in Q3 2025, marking 17 percent growth over Q1 2025.

3. Digital media adoption in rural India is soaring

Three in four digital only users reside in rural India.

Forty nine percent of incremental CTV viewers also come from rural India.

4. The expanding digital footprint

Forty three percent of Indians browse online shopping platforms for discovery, research, and deal hunting. Retail media networks are increasingly shaping preferences at the top of the purchase funnel.

Implications for brands

Digital is rapidly bridging the reach gap in historically media dark geographies and cohorts, making it essential for brands to build flexible plans that balance linear and digital investments in line with campaign objectives and target audiences.

Brands should rethink long held assumptions and adopt telecom first rural strategies. Tailored creative, mobile led formats, and vernacular content will unlock more precise targeting and deeper engagement in previously hard to reach markets.

Retail platforms should be treated as vital upper funnel environments for storytelling and influence, where strong retail media strategies and always on optimised content can shape consumer choices and capture demand early in the journey.

Puneet Avasthi, Director, Specialist Businesses, South Asia, Kantar, said, “Since its launch in June, Kantar's Media Compass Report has enabled marketers to navigate the complexity of India’s media ecosystem with precision. The sharp rise of digital only audiences, now 313 million Indians, signals a decisive shift in how content is being consumed across the country. With strong growth coming from rural and younger segments, brands must rethink how they build reach and relevance. As media behaviour becomes increasingly multi screen, Media Compass provides timely intelligence required to plan with precision, in line with shifting audience behaviour.”