93% of Indian Smart TV Users Access Internet Based Content: Report

Mapping Connected TV (CTV) Viewership in India and the Opportunities for Brands” a report from mediasmart, an Affle company, highlights the changing media consumption patterns of the Indian consumer. India is undergoing digital transformation and consumers are steadily moving away from traditional linear TV to CTV and OTTs. This change presents an untapped advertising opportunity for brands and advertisers. The report highlights consumer adoption insights layered with an expert view on possible advertising potential of the CTV medium.

According to the report, key CTV viewership trends and insights include:

• Out of the select audience surveyed, 78% own a Smart TV and 93% of these smart TV users access internet based content
• Mobile-first, active and aware CTV consumers: CTV users are young, urban adults who are already mobile-first and are actively engaging with diverse apps such as - 89% of the respondents are social media users, 82% are e-commerce, 44% are gamers and more
• Content on demand: over 59% respondents prefer downloading apps via Smart TV App Store, while 26% respondents primarily consume content via pre-installed apps and a small section (15% respondents) use the dongle to stream content on TV
• One device, many uses: Close to 70% respondents spend between 1 to 4 hours on CTV watching movies (91%), streaming music (64%), playing games (47%) or watching news (64%)
• Spending ability and OTT preferences: Over 65% respondents subscribe to more than one OTT app.  There is 40%+ adoption for the leading eight OTT apps in India: Disney+Hotstar, Amazon’s Prime Video, Netflix, Zee5, MXPlayer, Sony LIV, VOOT and Alt Balaji. The inclination on app usage is also heavily dependent on seasonality and timing
• Limited barriers to viewership and adoption: Unlike mobile usage of internet, which requires literacy levels, CTV consumption cuts across age, language, and city barriers. By going vernacular, advertisers can engage with users in ads of their language

Nikhil Kumar, Sr. Director, mediasmart talks about the CTV potential in the report - “The world is moving towards immersive watching experiences and CTV is an exciting space to be at. It is interesting to see leading advertisers in the country adopt CTV advertising as a critical new addition to their media mix. CTV advertising is here to stay and with evolutionary solutions provided by mediasmart on Household Sync technology, we are powering brands to engage with relevant consumers across the connected devices.”

India is a young market with a tremendous potential for CTV adoption. CTV inherently is more engaging than traditional TVs and brings together the twin strengths of (a) engaging storytelling associated with CTV advertising and (b) targeting associated with Programmatic & Digital advertising. Affle’s mediasmart platform (report- https://bit.ly/3nc20aR) offers an innovative approach to help optimise the CTV opportunity. With mediasmart’s unique Household Sync technology, advertisers can make ads more engaging by syncing CTV ad campaigns with ads on other connected devices in the same household. Brands can launch CTV campaigns to a specific audience in the same household, target premium inventory, measure results and drive them to the nearest store.

Amardeep Singh, CEO of Interactive Avenues, talks about the CTV opportunity in the report - “Advertisers globally - and in India - are lapping up the CTV opportunity as it continues to grow as an exciting medium for digital advertising. We have seen great results and ROI for some of our top clients who are already using the CTV ad technology from mediasmart. This research is a step in the right direction to build standard industry metrics, even as technologies like Household Sync make CTV more measurable and impactful.”

With data plans becoming more affordable, India is one of the biggest markets of internet users. Availability of cheap Smart TVs, diverse and affordable internet content and an untapped demographic group opening to the digital-first world presents a massive opportunity for CTV adoption and growth. This makes for a fertile ground for advertisers to innovate solutions for different brands with diverse business needs. Affle’s mediasmart is driving the CTV innovation across India, SEA, Europe & other key markets and aims to revolutionise the way brands interact with consumers on various connected devices.