Market Research Society of India (MRSI), conducted its ninth instalment of its ongoing webinar series. This time the topic was 'IPL advertising: Impact, evolution and opportunity’ and was conducted on 23 April. 

The panelists comprised Anshu Yardi, vice president - business partnerships and communication, TAM; Karthik Shankar, head – digital investments, GroupM; Sandeep Ranade, EVP and head, quantitative research division, Hansa Research Group; and Deepa Mathew, chief insights and digital marketing officer, Ceat. 

The session was moderated by Sivakumar Somanathan, consumer behaviour consultant, Curious Cat.

Yardi opened the session by noting a drop in ad volumes on linear TV post-pandemic, “In the last five seasons, the ad game for IPL has shifted. When we look only at linear TV, we see that total ad volumes haven’t recovered fully post-Covid. The data shows that pure commercial time slots saw a 24% drop. When it comes to categories, back in 2019, telecom, auto, and durables were dominating. But post-pandemic, categories like BFSI, food and beverages saw 9x and 28% growth, respectively.”

Further, Yardi added that another space that has seen a dip has been digital advertising when it comes to IPL. 

“If we look at digital or non-financial consulting technologies (FCT) placements, there’s been a 39% drop in 2024 as compared to pre-Covid times. And even within this, we see a category shift - durables and F&B making way for BFSI and auto,” Yardi commented. 

The conversation then shifted to multiscreen advertising trends.

“Before Covid, linear TV was the primary medium. But now, the audience has spread across screens - mobile, OTT, and CTV,” Yardi noted. 

“In IPL 2024, linear TV had an average of 37 hours of FCT advertising. Mobile OTT had 48 hours, and CTV topped that with 62 hours. This is purely FCT, not including on-ground or integration-based inventory.”

Yardi then went on to share a breakdown of brand presence across platforms.

She stated, “On linear TV, we saw 69 categories and 24 advertisers covering 135 brands. OTT had 130 categories with 278 advertisers and 377 brands. On CTV, there were 99 categories, 145 advertisers, and 247 brands. This is unduplicated data, so there were some overlaps in multiscreen planning,” she explained. 

With all these changes in habits from the audience, there has been a shift in the advertisers' mindset. Yardi pointed out that in 2019, linear was dominant. But now advertisers have multiple avenues to reach audiences. And this diversity in media planning is only going to grow. 

The longest innings, Yardi said, has been played by FMCG. She explained, “FMCG has remained the most consistent spender across five years. Edtech and e-comm saw a surge in 2022 but dipped in 2023 and 2024 for well-known reasons. Meanwhile, we’ve seen new players like fintech, fantasy gaming, and food delivery apps entering the field.”

Yardi also pointed out a return of certain sectors which were auto and smartphones, which dropped off due to chip shortages, and made a strong comeback in 2023.

Comparing pre and post-Covid top categories, Yardi highlighted notable changes. “Some categories remain consistent from 2019 to 2024, like e-commerce and retail outlets. But 2024 has seen newer entries like ATM services, debit cards, and even furniture brands making it to the top 10,” she added. 

Tata’s consistency was a standout according to Yardi. But now, TAM has also seen fresh investments from brands like Angel One, Dream11 and My11Circle taking the lead.

Closing her part of the presentation, Yardi said, “There have been three key shifts since 2019. First, ad format innovation, pre-Covid, TVCs were mostly standard. Now, we’re seeing interactive, contextual formats, especially on CTV and mobile. There’s also a 10% year-on-year increase in short-form and non-traditional creatives since 2021. Second, a shift from reach to ROI. IPL used to be about brand awareness, now, it’s performance-driven. We’re seeing IPL-specific offers, influencer tie-ins, QR codes, and real-time attribution. KPIs like installs and purchases are directly linked to campaigns. And third, regional and multilingual customisation - earlier, it was mostly Hindi and English. Now, the same creative is launched in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada - regional targeting is the new norm, especially on CTV and mobile.”

Shankar pointed out how IPL has evolved into a sprawling ecosystem that now spans on-ground activations, TV, and digital – with digital becoming more complex and influential. 

“What we are seeing is the massive scale digital has achieved from an advertising standpoint through the league. That is because digital platforms are exploring deeper capabilities and driving new possibilities,”  he explained. 

"Cricket continues to dominate the Indian sporting landscape," Shankar underscored. “The sport alone commands around 94% of the total share in the digital space - that’s a staggering influence."

Turning to the economics of the IPL, Shankar remarked, “The kind of money pumped into the IPL puts it among the top sporting properties globally. It ranks number two in terms of volumes and financial impact.”

He underlined how IPL is not just a sport but a significant engine for the open economy, with a clear digital boom. “From just 1–2 million digital viewers in the early years to a cumulative viewership of 620 million today, we might hit 700–800 million in 2025,” Shankar added. “This shows how IPL has scaled across platforms and built enormous capabilities.”

Shankar noted that the IPL ecosystem is maturing far beyond the core matches.

“It’s not just about the matches anymore,” he said. “There are associations, social conversations, and fan engagement even during the auctions. Consumers are paying attention to every move - who’s buying whom, what strategies are being played.”

Talking about engagement, Shankar cited, “85% of matches now draw over 10 crore viewers; features like multi-cam modes have seen downloads over four crore. Notably, 69% of users watch in their language even outside their home state proving the hyper-local connect of IPL.”

Shakar also delved into the prominence of teams. He stated, “What drives conversation is the competition, the teams, and the players - especially the rivalries like CSK vs RCB or Mumbai Indians vs RCB. These dynamics keep the engagement alive.” 

On the metrics side, IPL is delivering peak concurrency at scale.

“Some figures from 2022 may not be validated, so take them with a pinch of salt,” Shankar clarified, “but overall concurrency has soared, and people are tuning in like never before.”

Shankar further highlighted how platforms hosting and streaming IPL have advanced significantly. “Back in the day, brands had limited ways to buy media. Now, tech infrastructure and innovation in feeds have exploded the possibilities,” he said. “Brands have control, customisation options, and ways to buy across multiple devices.”

From GroupM's ongoing studies with JioStar, Shankar explained how live sports stand out in a distracted media environment.

“Despite all the distractions – social media, digital noise – live sports captures attention and intent beautifully. From campaign delivery to real-time interaction, it’s a golden opportunity. We have curated bespoke offerings to help brands with influencer-led integrations, content engagement, and even hyper-local targeting. It’s a safe and measurable environment that delivers outcome-led campaigns,” he said.

He explained how GroupM has leveraged tech for deeper brand connections.

“First-party data collection and precision targeting - things not done before are now happening at scale,” he noted. “GroupM and JioStar have jointly delivered 400 to 500 unique ideas across 15 to 18 categories, each tailored to drive brand outcomes.”

Mathew shared that for Ceat, cricket isn’t just a media buy - it’s a long-term engagement tool. Explaining why, she voiced, “Tyres might be a low-involvement category, but IPL gives the brand a front-row seat in India’s most-watched arena. The visibility helps Ceat own a mental real estate in consumers' minds so that when the need for a new tyre arises, the brand is already top-of-mind.” 

For the IPL, Mathew stated that the key brand benefits of strategic timeout integration include massive, distraction-free reach across TV, OTT, stadiums, and social media. 

She further explained, “Even when Ceat isn’t running active campaigns, we see unprompted brand recall - audiences perceive Ceat advertising naturally. And of course, ‘Ceat Strategic Timeout’ has become branded match lingo. It’s a phrase now synonymous with the game itself.”

Talking about the brand's initiatives, she added, “We’re building engagement, not just awareness. Ceat has evolved the timeout from a passive break into an interactive ritual. Fans now expect content, contests, memes, and QR-led experiences during this window. It’s not just about visibility - it’s about meaningful interaction. One standout feature is our use of QR codes displayed on the Strategic Timeout (STO) board. Fans can scan them live to access contests and promotions, blurring the lines between live sports, entertainment, and performance marketing. We even track engagement and website traffic during these moments to measure impact.”

The forward-looking view of IPL advertising, according to Yardi, is that in 2025, IPL is not just a media event, it's a performance movement. She said, “We’ll see a shift from mass reach to strategic multi-channel activations, AI-generated creatives, regional customisation, real-time detection tools, and a greater focus on durability in a multiscreen ecosystem.”

Wrapping it up, Mathew advised brands on how to ace IPL advertising.

She said, "A brand’s consistency in IPL activation needs to lead to media chatter, fan shares, and emotional affinity. It’s not just about being seen; it’s about being felt. And that’s perhaps the greatest win for a brand in a low-involvement category when a break in the match becomes a ritual consumers look forward to.”