IPL may look like a cricketing spectacle where fans cheer on their favourite teams and players, but beyond the roaring crowds and soaring sixes, brands are also playing a fierce, high-stakes game of their own. With millions of eyes glued to screens, marketers are leveraging every second of airtime and every square inch of the stadium to score big.
“IPL is no longer just about visibility,” said Anshu Yardi, VP – Business Partnerships & Communication at TAM Media Research, speaking at a Market Research Society of India (MRSI) webinar on IPL advertising. “It has become a full-fledged marketing platform.”
According to her, ad formats have evolved from standard TV commercials to more contextual, interactive, and short-form creatives.
Yardi noted that regionalisation has also become a key driver of this evolution. “We’re seeing a significant uptick in regional focus by listening to commentary in local language, which is allowing ads by local brands to jump into the IPL bandwagon.”
Another big shift is happening on screens that aren’t just televisions. “CTV (Connected TV) programming is becoming increasingly central to brand strategies. It helps tap into a premium, high-intent audience,” she added.
The numbers back this up. TAM’s data reveals that traditional free commercial time (FCT) has declined by 24% since 2019, giving way to multi-screen approaches across TV, digital, and OTT platforms.
Cricket Holds the Advertising Crown
GroupM’s Head of Digital Investments, Karthik Shankar, emphasised cricket’s continued dominance in India’s ad landscape. “Sporting events, especially cricket, are at the heart of advertising strategies in India. Cricket alone commands a whopping 94% of all sports-related ad spend,” he said.
The growth in IPL-specific advertising has been exponential. “From Rs 102 million in 2008, IPL ad spends skyrocketed to Rs 620 million in 2024 and are projected to touch Rs 700–800 million in 2025.”
He also highlighted the crucial role of regional language content in this growth story. “Today, 69% of users watch IPL in their local language, even when they’re outside their home. That makes hyperlocal advertising more relevant than ever.”
CTV and Cross-Platform Strategies Are Changing the Game
According to Sandeep Ranade, EVP & Head – Quantitative Research at Hansa Research Group, connected TV (CTV) viewership has surged 2.25x from 2023 to 2024, driven by features like multilingual commentary, interactive camera angles, and personalised fan engagement on mobile and OTT platforms.
Ranade shared findings from Hansa’s syndicated consumer study spanning over 20,000 respondents across metros and Tier-2 cities. “Brands that advertised only on TV achieved a baseline uplift score of 100. But when they added digital, on-ground, or CTV elements, the uplift jumped by 35–50%.”
Interestingly, on-ground jersey branding led the pack in brand recall, clocking in at 63%, ahead of other in-stadium assets.
CEAT’s 150-second timeout strategy
For Deepa Mathew, Chief Insights and Digital Marketing Officer at CEAT, the IPL’s famed “Strategic Timeout” by CEAT isn’t just a break in the game; it’s a brand-building ritual.
“As the strategic timeout partners, CEAT owns the one moment in the game when the entire match pauses,” she explained.
“For a low-involvement category like tyres, this consistent high-frequency exposure like this is incredibly powerful,” she states.
She mentions that CEAT uses the timeout creatively. “We’ve turned the board into a storytelling surface,” she said. From launching campaigns to integrating QR codes that lead to microsites and contests, CEAT transformed the break into a moment across TV, OTT, and social media.
