India's Video Revolution: CTV Dominates by 2025, YouTube Leads the Charge

• By 2025, Connected TV (CTV) became India's most powerful screen, with an active base surging 87% year-on-year to 129.2 million users across 60-70 million homes, reshaping how Indians consume and pay for content.
• Subscription stacking is now the norm, with 44% of Indian viewers paying for 3-4 streaming platforms, spending over ₹1,360 monthly, a trend expanding beyond metros to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
• YouTube emerged as the dominant CTV platform, becoming its fastest-growing screen in India. By April 2025, it reached over 75 million Indians aged 18+ on CTV, with long-form content watch time exceeding 21 minutes.
• Affordable hardware, including a 43% jump in 55-inch+ smart TV sales and sub-₹10,000 smart TVs, alongside increased broadband penetration, made CTV accessible to a mass audience, potentially surpassing pay TV by end-2025.
• Advertisers are rapidly shifting budgets, with CTV ad spends tripling since 2022 to ₹1,500 crore in 2024, driven by high ad engagement (91% of viewers) and CTV's effectiveness in driving full-funnel commerce.

Why It Matters: By 2025, CTV, led by YouTube, transformed India's video landscape into a dominant, commerce-driven ecosystem.