Streaming platform Rooter bets on AdTech as brands chase Indian gamers

Over the past decade, India has witnessed a dramatic shift in its digital consumption patterns. Among the most striking developments has been the rise of gaming and live-streaming. 

Today, India has a gaming population exceeding 500 million, making it one of the largest markets globally. What is equally noteworthy is its diversity: 44% of gamers are female, and two-thirds come from non-metro cities, reflecting a community that cuts across demographics and geographies.

Amidst this evolution, Rooter has positioned itself as a central player. Founded in 2016 and pivoting into game streaming during the early months of the pandemic, Rooter now identifies itself as both a game-streaming platform and a gaming commerce company.

Over the past five years, the platform has scaled to more than 90 million downloads and 15 million monthly active users, building what its founder and CEO, Piyush Kumar, calls a “democratic community” that supports both content and monetisation.

"When we pivoted to gaming during COVID, the category was cluttered with competitors. But over time, Rooter became the only platform with a strong foothold in the Indian gaming streaming space," he says.

Rooter has also layered commerce onto its platform through a marketplace model that enables the sale of in-app currencies, gift cards, and other digital goods.

In doing so, the company has become what Kumar describes as a “content-to-commerce” entity, drawing parallels with global platforms like Steam, which combine community engagement with transactional opportunities.

This scale has translated into revenue growth. For FY25, Rooter reported $10 million (Rs 82 crore) in revenues, up from $4.5 million (Rs 38 crore) in FY24, with annual recurring revenue tracking at $24 million.

The company is aiming for 3-4x growth this year, banking on new monetisation streams and its expanding base of creators and users.

From brand sponsorships to AdTech solutions

Rooter began monetising brands in 2021, initially working with startups and later partnering with media agencies and advertisers across categories. To date, it has engaged with more than 100 brands and nearly all leading agencies in India.

Campaigns have spanned performance marketing, sponsorships, and influencer-led activations, reflecting the variety of ways advertisers are exploring gaming audiences.

Yet, as Kumar explains, brand partners have consistently highlighted challenges with the existing model: a lack of credibility, scalable solutions, and precise targeting. In response, Rooter has developed rStream, a native adtech product aimed at transforming how advertisers integrate into live gaming streams.

"The advantage of being a tech platform is that you can innovate in ways a non-tech company cannot. Agencies kept coming back to us with feedback on challenges, particularly around targeting and scalability."

Launched earlier this year after six to eight months of development, rStream has been conceived as a non-intrusive, AI-powered advertising tool.

The system relies on AI interventions to detect contextual cues during live streams—such as a gamer mentioning thirst or a car—and trigger brand placements that align with the moment. The aim, says Kumar, is to make advertising “a part of the storytelling” rather than a forced interruption.

Balancing the gamer and brand experience

One of Kumar's priorities for rStream is its focus on balance. Traditional in-game advertising models have long been criticised for being disruptive, but gamers in India are no strangers to advertising—casual games, in particular, have relied on ads for years. What is shifting is the expectation of how these ads are delivered.

According to Kumar, rStream is built on three pillars: Native integration, where ads are non-skippable but also non-intrusive; enhanced measurability with real-time tracking of ad exposure; and credibility based on potential third-party research validations on campaign performance.

The model borrows from innovations seen in sports broadcasting, where brand messaging is woven into live coverage rather than being confined to traditional ad breaks.

"Much like cricket, where telecasts have evolved to feature innovative brand placements, we want to bring similar innovation to game streaming," Kumar explains.

For advertisers, this approach promises high engagement without diluting user experience.

Expanding brand categories

While early campaigns on Rooter were largely driven by endemic categories such as technology and telecom, the platform has since attracted diverse advertisers. Examples include Hero, which hosted its first live-streamed bike launch on Rooter, and Mother Dairy, which tapped into esports to reach a younger demographic.

FMCG players, consumer brands, and two-wheeler manufacturers are now active participants, with financial services and four-wheelers identified as emerging categories.

Kumar argues that gaming offers one of the most cost-effective ways to reach India’s youth compared to traditional routes like Bollywood and cricket. As cricket sponsorship costs rise, he expects gaming to emerge as an equal, if not more attractive, channel for brand engagement in the next five years.

"At the end of the day, everyone is trying to target the 15-30-year-old demographic. Bollywood is inaccessible, and cricket is becoming increasingly expensive. Gaming will be the next big way to reach this audience," Kumar opines.

Shifts in the creator ecosystem

The rise of streaming has also reshaped India’s creator economy. The initial pandemic surge brought new streamers into the fold, while the following years saw consolidation, with platforms like Rooter scaling while others struggled.

Monetisation has become central to sustainability, with creators now building more robust revenue streams through brand partnerships and esports collaborations.

Interestingly, many of the most successful streamers hail from smaller towns, reflecting broader trends in India’s influencer ecosystem. This geographic spread has enabled Rooter to build a user base across tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three cities, mirroring the distribution of popular games themselves.

Looking ahead, Kumar identifies three trends likely to define the sector:

• The arrival of global gaming companies and new mobile-first titles tailored to Indian audiences.
  
  
• The institutionalisation of esports, with federations, schools, and colleges treating it on par with traditional sports.
  
  
• The scaling of creators and platforms as monetisation deepens, potentially tripling industry revenues within the next three to four years.

For Rooter, the strategy is clear: remain at the centre of this ecosystem, much like food delivery platforms are positioned within the restaurant economy. By providing infrastructure for creators, commerce for gamers, and innovative adtech for brands, the company hopes to anchor itself in India’s rapidly expanding digital entertainment market.