Policybazaar Shifts Significant Ad Budget to CTV, Targets Exclusive Streaming Audiences

The shift in Policybazaar's ad spend signals increasing confidence in CTV to deliver precision targeting and measurable ROI, particularly for high-consideration products. This move highlights the growing maturity of CTV advertising platforms and their ability to reach valuable, incremental audiences inaccessible through traditional linear TV. Expect other brands, especially those in BFSI and other high-involvement sectors, to increasingly follow this model, leading to heightened competition for premium CTV inventory and further innovation in targeting capabilities. Watch for Q3 and Q4 2026 earnings reports from major streaming players for indications of increased direct-response ad revenue.

The trend of BFSI brands favoring CTV for ad spend is also evidenced by recent data from IPL 2026. A COTT | Chrome Digital Ad Track report (May 2026) found that BFSI brands, despite contributing less than 5% of total CTV ad impressions during IPL 2026, achieved the highest recall among viewers. BFSI recorded a Recall Efficiency Index of 1.44x, significantly outperforming categories like FMCG and e-commerce. This indicates that targeted messaging and platform relevance are proving more effective than sheer media weight on CTV. Policybazaar’s CMO, Sai Narayan, noted in an April 2024 Storyboard18 interview that while pre-COVID brand spend was 90% television, it has since flipped, with 60% of brand spend now allocated to digital, including YouTube, OTT, and influencer channels, and 40% to TV. Narayan further detailed in a Marketing Mind article (June 2026) that performance marketing now constitutes 60% of Policybazaar's total marketing budget, reflecting a strategic pivot towards measurable digital outcomes.