DV’s India Clients See 3% Year-on-Year Drop in Brand Suitability Violations: DoubleVerify’s Global Insights Report

The annual report highlights the evolving role of attention, viewability, and suitability in maximizing media performance

NEW DELHI, INDIA — July 23, 2025 — DoubleVerify ("DV") (NYSE: DV), the leading software platform to verify media quality, optimise ad performance, and prove campaign outcomes, today released its 2025 Global Insights: APAC Report, spotlighting key advertising trends and media quality benchmarks. The report draws on over one trillion impressions across desktop, mobile and CTV environments, as well as survey responses from marketers and consumers globally.

This year’s global report reveals notable improvements in global media quality, with declines in brand suitability violations and fraud rates, alongside modest gains in viewability. However, attention continues to vary significantly across regions, formats, and devices, highlighting the need for advertisers to customize strategies that drive both performance and protection.

Global highlights include:

• Brand Suitability: Violation rates fell 15% year-over-year, with Unsuitable Category violations still comprising the majority (65%) of all incidents.
• Fraud and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT): Global fraud/SIVT dropped 7% year-over-year, but bot fraud increased sharply, particularly in mobile app environments.
• Viewability: The global Authentic Viewable Rate rose 3% to 70%, supported by industry efforts to address "TV Off" issues in CTV.
• Attention Metrics: APAC led all regions with a 14% higher Attention Index than the global benchmark of 100, while North America trailed by 4%.

"As the digital media landscape becomes more complex, advertisers need actionable insights to optimise performance and minimise waste,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify. "Success now depends on precise, real-time insights that ensure every impression meets the highest standards of quality and effectiveness. That is what drives meaningful outcomes in today’s media environment.”

Key Trends across India include: 

• Brand Suitability: Violations declined by 3% year-over-year to 4.3%, behind the global average of 5.2%. Most incidents were observed during the 2024 election period, with violation rates rising up to 50 times the usual.
• Fraud and SIVT: The Fraud/SIVT violation rate increased by 23% to 0.6% in India. DV internal data shows that fraud rate in India is driven by bot fraud and app fraud violations at 2.6x and 1.9x higher share of violations respectively compared to other Asia Pacific countries.
• Viewability: Authentic Viewable Rate rose to 72%, driven by an 11% YoY increase in the metric on Mobile Apps and improved on-screen standards.
• Attention Metrics: The Attention Index was 118, 18% above global benchmark and one of the highest in the region. India however has the lowest Engagement Index in APAC at 81, below DV’s baseline, signaling there is room for improvement in optimising for engagement.

Marketers in India are increasingly prioritising channels like commerce media networks. More than 70% in Southeast Asia and India are already advertising on commerce media networks, with over 20% in each market planning to expand their investments further. Top-performing formats, such as social media channels, are consistently exceeding campaign baselines, reflecting a broader shift toward performance-driven, digitally connected advertising. 

At the same time, consumers in India are spending an average of 3.4 hours per day with online content, led by social media. But ad fatigue is rising: 46% of consumers in APAC use ad blockers, and 53% of consumers in India say they would stop using a brand if its ad appeared next to false or offensive content, reinforcing the critical need for brand suitability and context-aware media strategies.

"As India’s digital advertising landscape grows more sophisticated, marketers must shift their focus from merely reach and impressions to delivering meaningful, high-quality experiences. Ads that appear in the right context, capture real attention, and uphold brand values are what truly drive performance today. With consumers becoming more discerning and ad fatigue on the rise, media quality is no longer a nice-to-have – it is essential to building trust and achieving measurable outcomes,” said Samir Karpe, Country Manager, DoubleVerify  India.

As media investments grow more complex, DV’s regional insights provide a critical roadmap for advertisers to reduce waste, boost engagement and drive measurable outcomes in India and beyond.

To view the full report, visit: https://doubleverify.com/2025-dv-global-insights-apac-report/  

About DoubleVerify

DoubleVerify ("DV”) (NYSE: DV) is the industry’s leading media effectiveness platform that leverages AI to drive superior outcomes for global brands. By powering media efficiency and performance, DV strengthens the online advertising ecosystem, preserving the fair value exchange between buyers and sellers of digital media. Learn more at www.doubleverify.com.