NDTV makes a major foray into Connected TV

NDTV has unveiled a significant expansion of its Connected TV (CTV) operations, appointing Akhil Bhalla as Product Head – Connected TV and Sanjeev Kumar Choudhary as Head of Connected TV Revenue. The move signals the network’s strategic push into one of the fastest-growing segments of the media ecosystem.

Connected TV is rapidly emerging as a key platform for premium video worldwide, including news, blending the reach of traditional television with the intelligence of digital and the credibility of trusted content. In India, adoption is accelerating sharply. More than 129 million Indians streamed digital video on CTV devices at least once in the past month, while household penetration is estimated to have crossed 60 million homes—underscoring CTV’s shift from a niche extension to a mainstream medium.

Advertisers are closely tracking this momentum. India’s CTV advertising market is projected to touch about USD 760 million in 2025 and approach USD 1 billion in 2026. Globally, CTV ad revenues are expected to reach USD 51 billion by 2029, highlighting the platform’s growing importance in the video advertising landscape. For news organisations, CTV offers premium attention, immersive viewing, brand-safe environments, and measurable outcomes, making it a natural fit for credible journalism.

With these appointments, NDTV is building a dedicated CTV ecosystem spanning product design, editorial experience, distribution, and monetisation.

As Product Head – Connected TV, Akhil Bhalla will lead the redesign of NDTV’s CTV product and editorial experience, with a focus on how audiences discover, consume, and engage with news on the big screen. Bhalla brings extensive experience in building large-scale, news-focused CTV ecosystems. He previously worked at JioHotstar (formerly Disney+ Hotstar), where he integrated over 45 national and regional news channels and developed frameworks for real-time news engagement. Over his career, he has worked with several leading media organisations and is widely regarded as a pioneer of CTV news operations in India.

“Connected TV is transforming the way people experience news. NDTV’s legacy of trust and credibility provides a strong foundation to build a CTV product that is meaningful for audiences and commercially viable. This is not just about putting news on another screen—it’s about designing news for the future,” Bhalla said.

On the monetisation front, Sanjeev Kumar Choudhary joins NDTV as Head of Connected TV Revenue. He will focus on expanding NDTV’s CTV footprint and driving revenue growth at scale. Choudhary comes from Republic Media Network and brings deep expertise in digital revenue, CTV partnerships, and large-scale monetisation models. His experience spans platforms such as Yupp, Jio, Samsung TV Plus, LG, Planetcast, and Google Showcase, along with managing multi-stream digital revenue operations.

“CTV in India is at an inflection point. Viewership is rising, engagement is deepening, and advertiser interest is growing rapidly. NDTV’s editorial strength and credibility give it a clear advantage. Our focus will be on expanding distribution and building revenue models that reflect both the scale and the premium nature of this market,” Choudhary said.

Commenting on the expansion, Rahul Kanwal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of NDTV, said, “Connected TV marks a fundamental shift in news consumption. It combines the authority of television with the precision of digital in a premium, trusted environment. Our move into CTV is an investment in the future—aligning our editorial strengths with changing audience behaviour and new revenue opportunities. By strengthening leadership across product, editorial, distribution, and revenue, we are building a CTV ecosystem designed for sustainable growth and long-term relevance.”

With these developments, NDTV is positioning itself at the forefront of India’s CTV evolution. As Connected TV becomes increasingly mainstream and advertising continues to gravitate towards premium streaming environments, the network’s enhanced leadership is set to leverage CTV as a key engine for growth and deeper audience engagement.