Connected TV (CTV) is no longer a niche play—it’s fast becoming the anchor of modern video advertising. In a candid fireside chat at the Pitch CMO Summit 2025, Rahul Chetry, Head of Planning at Dentsu, joined Ishank Joshi, CEO & Co-founder of Mobavenue, to lay out how brands are recalibrating their media mix to accommodate this growing format—and why it’s no longer just an “upper-funnel” tool.
Chetry began by laying down the numbers: CTV in India is witnessing over 21% YoY growth, with the potential to reach 60-70% of TV households by the end of 2025. The drivers are clear—cheaper hardware, faster internet, and content-on-demand. But what's more critical is that this shift is redefining how brands engage audiences.
"CTV is drawing spends from both traditional TV and digital. It’s sitting right in the grey area, and if we can solve for attribution and precise targeting, it can truly own that middle ground,” said Chetry.
Measurement is No Longer the Pain Point—Attribution Is
“CTV is still largely an upper-funnel channel. But brands want full-funnel accountability,” Chetry explained. The solution lies in mapping CTV device IDs with mobile and web identifiers—a practice still in its early days in India.
“We’re collaborating with DSPs and data clean rooms to make that happen. The moment we can map behavioural journeys across devices, CTV becomes a full-funnel platform.”
The Rise of Creative Innovation—and the Fall of 30-Second TVCs
Linear TV came with limitations—chief among them, creative fatigue. CTV, on the other hand, is offering a fresh playground. From QR code-enabled shoppable ads to immersive lab bands and interactive storytelling, the medium allows experimentation.
Chetry advises brands to follow three basic rules: “Don’t treat CTV like TV. Keep creatives short, think social-first, and adopt sequential storytelling. You can build frequency and narrative depth far more effectively on CTV.”
Fragmentation, Inventory Limits Still Exist
Despite its promise, CTV still has operational constraints. Fragmentation—especially across OEMs—makes unified reporting challenging. “You won’t get domain-level transparency yet, like you do on web or mobile,” Chetry noted. Moreover, inventory remains limited, especially in comparison to Meta or YouTube, which can deliver campaigns at 10x the reach for a fraction of the CPM cost.
But CTV’s value lies elsewhere. “Don’t compare it to Meta or YouTube. The real estate is larger, and the audience is premium. CTV is for impact, not just reach,” he said, with CPMs ranging from ?350 to ?500.
CTV’s Audience Is Leaning In—and Buying
What makes CTV compelling isn’t just the format—it’s the audience. “These are evolved, online-buying consumers. You’re targeting cod-cutters and shavers—the same people sitting in this room,” quipped Chetry. That’s also why brands are experimenting with first-party and third-party data integrations to build sharper audience personas.
DSPs are playing a central role in this transition, enabling precise behavioural targeting—what a consumer is buying on Amazon, what UPI transactions they’re making, and what telecom plans they’re using—all helping build smarter audience buckets for CTV delivery.
Privacy Is a Priority, Not an Afterthought
With the DPDP Act taking shape in India, data governance is more important than ever. Chetry reassured the audience that Dentsu operates within strict privacy protocols. “Every tech partner goes through legal vetting. Campaign dashboards are transparent. We don’t share back data—we only use one-way APIs for signal reception.”
Advice to Brands: Don’t Sit This One Out
Wrapping up, Chetry had a clear message for brands—“Don’t miss CTV. These are your buyers. They are watching OTT, skipping linear TV, and engaging deeply. CTV isn’t just another shiny object. It’s the need of the hour.”
As Joshi pointed out, brands are no longer asking if they should explore CTV—they’re asking how soon they can scale. With agencies like Dentsu and platforms like Mobavenue leading the charge, CTV is swiftly moving from buzzword to boardroom staple.
And if 2024 was about testing the waters, 2025 might just be the year India jumps headfirst into a CTV-first future.
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