Even as India crossed 35 million CTV connections this June as per Finecast (GroupM), the country is expected to cross the so-called inflection point of CTV adoption (40 million) earlier than expected. The initial prediction was that the moment would come in 2025.

This is even as the world’s most populous nation becomes the third-largest TV market in the world, with 235 million TV households in India expected to have tuned in by the end of this year.

And almost all these TVs have the potential at least to be smart TVs, meaning they come with a built in technology, called ACR (Automatic Content Recognition), that allows the device to see and or hear the content that is being played, with that data being accessible to those who need and or want to know. No prizes for guessing who does.

Data on Tap

Prabhvir Sahmey, Senior Director, Samsung Ads, explaines “ACR data gives brands and content publishers an in-depth understanding of how audiences spend time on their TVs. With this insight, they can see what content is being watched, when it’s being watched and how viewers are choosing to access it. And this data is constantly improving and expanding our own understanding, as more consumers make the switch to Smart TVs.”

“ACR-like features enable a higher grade of addressability on television. We are able to see data signals on how audiences consume content, time spend & cord switching using these features,” says Rajiv Rajagopal, National Head – Client Development, Finecast, adding “It also accelerates the emergence of Household IDs, thus unifying both linear and CTV ecosystems and providing a way for an alternate measurement in the absence of a unified TV audience panel.”

For content publishers, this means improved insight into what type of content is performing well amongst audiences, helping them to identify trends and plan future content investments and commissioning decisions. For brands, advertisers, and media planners, ACR can help them optimise TV campaigns in new ways.

“In Samsung’s case, ACR data can give them unique insight into the interplay of TV viewing across linear, streaming and gaming - all across one device. ACR in combination with the addressable capabilities of CTV creates a powerful tool for brands to extend a campaign reach beyond linear channels, getting the best out of their TV buys,” elaborates Sahmey.

ACR data provides key targeting and measurement capabilities to the buy side and enables buyers to better plan, execute, and attribute their campaigns across both CTV and linear.

Gavin Buxton, Managing Director, Magnite Asia points out  media buyers are increasingly seeking greater insights into campaign reach and frequency across platforms, and ACR data is one of the top data types used to inform CTV advertising decisions. “As access to this data grows, the ability to apply granular audience-level ACR data at scale boosts CTV and cross-screen advertising’s efficiency,” he says.

There’s also a third group that benefits from ACR - OEMs. “By tailoring content recommendations based on viewership habits and interests, ACR can enable a truly personalised TV experience and make content discovery easier,” adds Sahmey.

Future Proof

According to the GroupM This Year Next Year Mid-Year Global Forecast 2023, Connected TV adoption, among consumers and advertisers, is growing rapidly, adding 10.4% in ad revenue between 2023 and 2028 on a compound annual basis. Consumer spending on subscription video on demand (SVOD) represents between just one-fifth and one-third of total video spending in major markets, leaving plenty of room for streaming providers to grow subscriptions, meaning all the more data to be parsed.

“I see this having a significant impact on content and media planning because of the tangible success story thus far. This effectively adds a sharp and immersive communication touch point for the consumer,” says Prachi Bali, EVP & Business Head, Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate, adding, “You can catch them when they are in a relaxed mindset, definitely open to consuming content and with some more time at hand on occasion. The scroll isn’t also as quick as compared to the mobile screen”

Krishna Menon, Chief Operating Officer, QYOU Media India, believes that ACR data is a critical pillar to understand the audience content appetite and constant changing consumption habits. “It should definitely be beneficial for CTV cementing its ecosystem keeping in mind the advertisers preferences. With ACR data, advertisers will find better value for money, further allowing micro targeting of consumers,” he says.

As Bali concludes, “CTV being an extension of the integrated media plan instead of a duplication, gives us the ability to layer the messaging instead of spray and pray. Being able to target based on the access to ACR data can potentially lead to it becoming a way to connect ATL to digital media which is the icing on the cake.”