Mumbai: According to the latest findings from Chrome Digital Track, ABP News has emerged as the frontrunner in Unique Viewers among Hindi News FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) channels on Connected TV (CTV) in India. Meanwhile, Republic Bharat has taken the top position in conversion rate, highlighting robust viewer engagement despite a lower Opportunity to See (OTS).
In terms of OTS, TV9 Bharatvarsh leads with 67.57%, followed by ABP News (65.62%), Aaj Tak (64.19%), India TV (63.62%), and Good News Today (63.15%).
The full OTS breakdown for the top 5 Hindi News FAST channels is as follows:
- TV9 Bharatvarsh – 67.57%
- ABP News – 65.62%
- Aaj Tak – 64.19%
- India TV – 63.62%
- Good News Today – 63.15%
Unique Viewers and Conversion Metrics: Key Highlights
- “ABP News leads in Unique Viewers, with a high 1.17% of CTV households tuning in, closely followed by Aaj Tak at 1.15%.”
- “However, Republic Bharat takes the lead in conversion, with the highest 2.10% conversion rate from OTS to Unique Viewers, showcasing its strong viewer engagement despite a lower OTS of 49.20%.”
The full comparison across key performance indicators is as follows:
Chrome Digital Track relies on a robust, panel-based COTT (Connected TV) viewership system, combining precise fingerprinting and real-time activity monitoring to offer an in-depth view of streaming patterns on Connected TVs across India. This hybrid approach allows for accurate tracking of OTT consumption and viewing behaviors.
FAST channels are rapidly becoming a cornerstone of India’s CTV content ecosystem. With 134 FAST channels across 33 genres, including Punjabi Music, Regional News, Hindi Movies, and Infotainment, the platform continues to grow. Samsung currently leads in terms of the number of FAST channels available on its devices.
The surge in FAST channels reflects a wider trend in India’s entertainment consumption—a shift toward ad-supported, no-subscription content, which provides linear-style TV experiences to viewers at no additional cost.
What is OTS?
Opportunity to See (OTS) is a measure of FAST channel availability across CTV homes in India. It represents the weighted average presence of a channel on connected devices, calculated OEM-wise. It indicates the percentage of households that have the technical capability to access a particular FAST channel.
94.5 million homes were surveyed in this report, representing households with Smart TVs or Connected TV access, connected to the internet at least once in the last quarter.
Source: Chrome Digital Track, Market – All India, Week 15’25, CTV Households, 94.5 million
