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GUEST ARTICLE: CTV: The future is here!
Mumbai: Consider this: a 42-inch 4K ultra HD smart LED TV controlled by a dedicated app on a smart phone. The app facilitates and enhances viewers’ experiences while watching TV: finding a particular TV series, a news bulletin, or a movie to watch; seeing what his or her friends are watching; or browsing through his list of favourite channels’ EPG. It also offers the option of ‘content throwing’ allowing shows and programmes to be transferred from a smart phone or tablet to the big TV screen. Apps are customised for each of us based on our content consumption behaviour. Such apps with the additional ability to support voice commands and hand gestures will make us wonder how we ever lived without them. This is the future now!
Just for clarity, a CTV is a television set that gets its content from the internet as compared to the traditional route of either through cable or DTH operators. This content is usually consumed through apps embedded on smart TV sets or through dongles like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Streaming Stick, and gaming consoles (xbox, playStation, etc.) connected to regular TV sets, thus enabling them to access internet content. Over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony LIV, ZEE5, Disney Hotstar, the omnipresent YouTube, and multiple apps that are compatible with CTVs are providing content to viewers on such TV screens. For the record, even news channels watched through the YouTube app installed on a smart TV set are within the purview of CTV.
Consuming OTT content on larger, connected screens is a trend that will only continue to grow across the country. As per an EY study, the number of connected television sets is expected to grow to 40 million by 2024, led by the increase in wireless and wired broadband connections alongside the proliferation of low-cost smart television sets.
Once again, for clarity, we need to be clear that OTT and CTV advertising are different; CTV advertising goes beyond OTTs and explores genres of news and music as well. The CTV audience is affluent, discerning, and HNI. They can be reached through platforms such as YouTube and other ad-supported OTT platforms.
CTV combines the power of TV’s format with the addressability and attribution capabilities of digital. The discerning English content consumer has been an early adopter of the connected TV phenomenon, and this audience base is exponentially growing. From an advertiser’s standpoint, connected TV will give them a tremendous opportunity to engage with consumers. They will be able to collect a lot more data about consumer behaviour based on what they watch, when they watch it, and how they react.
The future is indeed fascinating. As the Internet of Things with its machine-to-machine communication capability picks up, the smart TV could end up becoming the central hub of the smart (connected) home. We will pick up this subject some other day. For the time being, get, set, ready for CTV!
The author of this article is TV9 Network chief growth officer (broadcast & digital) Raktim Das.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
