New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- The smartphone may have powered India's first streaming wave, but the next round is set to play out on the living-room television, including those far beyond the metros-in smaller cities and towns and even villages.

Connected TV (CTV) or smart television is no longer an urban phenomenon, with a recent report by Kantar estimating that one in three CTV users lives in rural India. Entertainment industry experts say audiences in smaller towns are spending longer sessions on connected TV, watching live sports, regional entertainment, movies and family programmes together, making these high-consideration categories for content studios and streaming platforms. This creates an opportunity for both vernacular content as well...