CTV boom: How India’s AdTech is rethinking measurement and trust

The Indian television landscape is changing rapidly. Connected TV (CTV) penetration is no longer just a trend; it is a household phenomenon, setting new benchmarks for the advertising industry.

With high-quality content driving this transition, CTV offers an enriched experience that marries the cinematic impact of linear TV with the precision of digital targeting.

As the CTV ecosystem matures, this boom now faces a major challenge. The rapid rise in ad engagement is now meeting the rigorous requirements of India’s evolving data privacy framework, specifically the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.

For AdTech players, the challenge is clear: how do we scale in a price-sensitive market while absorbing the "hidden costs" of compliance?

There is no doubt that CTV is redefining the premium segment of digital advertising. The surge in adoption is fuelled by high-speed internet and a shift toward high-quality, long-form content.

Unlike the often-cluttered open web, CTV provides a lean-back, brand-safe environment where ad engagement is not just higher; it is more meaningful.

But because CTV ad delivery sits firmly within the digital AdTech stack, it must adhere to the same, if not stricter, privacy mandates as any other digital medium.

The DPDP mandate: From policy to operations

The introduction of the DPDP Act has turned data privacy from a legal checkbox into a core operational responsibility. As I recently noted in an article, with potential penalties reaching up to Rs 250 crore, compliance can no longer be treated as a peripheral exercise. 

It must be embedded into the very fabric of daily advertising operations. In the CTV space, publishers and advertisers rely on AdTech platforms to be the custodians of trust. This means:

Explicit consent: Implementing purpose-specific consent mechanisms that are clear to the viewer.

Auditable records: Maintaining a transparent paper trail of how and when data was collected.

Data minimisation: Adhering to strict retention and deletion timelines is a significant shift for an industry that historically thrived on data hoarding.

The transition: from walled gardens to collaborative trust

One of the most significant hurdles for the Indian TV industry is the financial burden of these new guidelines. Unlike the open web, where data is abundant and easily accessible, the CTV ecosystem is currently fragmented.

Major players often operate as "walled gardens", creating private environments that make cross-platform measurement a complex puzzle. In a price-sensitive market like India, justifying the investment in new privacy-first products and protocols is difficult.

As the industry moves toward active enforcement, we are seeing a "market-wide uplift" in costs estimated to catalyse nearly Rs 10,000 crore in investment over the next three years. These are not just legal fees; they are investments in governance tooling, security upgrades, and vendor management.

We are currently in the "initial stage" of CTV data maturity. While the ecosystem feels fragmented today, the global trend toward partnerships and industry associations is the way forward.

As CTV players enter into strategic alliances, data will become more shared and standardised. The goal for AdTech is to ensure that, as this data becomes available, it is secured with the highest levels of encryption and privacy-preserving technology (such as Clean Rooms or Universal IDs).

DPDP is, as some industry experts say, "something that hurts a little before it helps." For the CTV AdTech community, the short-term pressure on margins is a necessary trade-off for long-term stability.

The era of "privacy-by-slide-deck" is over. What replaces it is a test of operational credibility. Those who can navigate the fragmentation of CTV while delivering transparent, compliant, and high-impact measurement will not only survive the privacy mandate, but they will also lead the next decade of Indian advertising.

(Somendu Singh, Chief Contributor at CTV SCALE, has 20 years of AdTech and digital strategy expertise to drive premium, transparent, and innovative CTV advertising solutions.)