With Connected TV (CTV) emerging as an increasingly important part of how consumers engage with the big screen, it has reached 166 million monthly viewers (aged 15+) in Q1 2026, a 23 per cent increase over Q1 2025 , as per latest findings from Kantar’s Media Compass Report. This indicates CTV has become a mainstream screen for entertainment, making it an essential component of advertisers’ media plans.“59 million viewers consume content exclusively on CTV, representing 36% of the total CTV audience. As audiences continue to fragment across screens, CTV has become a critical extension to traditional TV campaigns, enabling brands to reach consumers that Linear TV alone cannot,” it added. Also, about 60% of CTV viewers belong to NCCS A, making it an ideal platform for premium and high-consideration categories. At the same time, one in three CTV users lives in rural India, highlighting CTV’s growing footprint beyond urban centres. Puneet Avasthi, Director, Specialist Businesses, South Asia, Kantar, said: “The rapid evolution of Connected TV is reshaping how brands approach audience targeting. Our latest Media Compass insights show that the CTV opportunity is not just aboutscale, it gives a sizeable 4 per cent incremental reach of audiences not available on LTV with a strong Metro Male skew.”“By providing a continuous, cross-media view of consumer behaviour across TV, digital and print, Media Compass helps brands move beyond siloed planning to maximise reach, reduce duplication and drive greater effectiveness from their media investments,” he said. The report added that CTV has a balanced audience profile, with 53 per cent men and 47 per cent women, while 25–44 year-olds account for nearly half of all viewers. Published on July 20, 2026