IPL 2026 - CTV’s premium reset: Why are advertisers still finding value

When news of a roughly 25% increase in connected TV advertising rates for IPL 2026 began circulating across agency WhatsApp groups and media planning meetings earlier this season, the reaction in many advertiser boardrooms could well be understood: a mixture of curiosity, mild irritation and a familiar question.

Is CTV streaming really worth that much yet?

For years, connected TV has been positioned as an attractive extension of television campaigns. Basically, a way to capture incremental reach among younger, digitally native audiences who increasingly consume video through streaming platforms rather than linear broadcast. But the IPL’s latest pricing benchmark, which places CTV inventory at roughly ₹600, suggests broadcasters are beginning to test whether streaming sports can command something closer to prime-time television economics.

Game play

During IPL 2025, connected TV inventory was typically sold at around ₹480 CPM, with premium matches pushing average CTV CPMs closer to ₹650 and roughly ₹7.5–8.5 lakh for a 10-second spot. That still placed streaming well below television, where a 10-second IPL spot could command anywhere between ₹18 lakh and ₹28 lakh, while mobile streaming inventory traded at roughly ₹250–₹340 CPM.

For IPL 2026, however, the base CTV CPM on JioStar’s rate card has moved to about ₹600 for a 10-second ad, while handheld (mobile) rates remain broadly stable. In effect, connected TV is now being priced as a distinct premium layer within the IPL ecosystem rather than simply another leg of digital video.

The spread now raises a sharper question for marketers: is that roughly 25% CTV premium actually buying incremental, high-value reach on big screens, or are brands simply paying more to reach the same IPL fan who might already see their ads on television and mobile?

JioHotstar and Jio Ads were contacted by exchange4media for the piece but declined to comment.

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The answer matters because India’s advertising market itself is expanding rapidly. According to the Pitch Madison Advertising Report (PMAR) 2026, India’s total advertising expenditure crossed approximately ₹1.55 lakh crore in 2025, with digital accounting for nearly 60% of the market under an expanded definition that now includes quick commerce and MSME digital spending. Early projections suggest the market could approach ₹1.74 lakh crore in 2026, with digital expected to capture most of the incremental growth.

Within that expansion, connected TV has emerged as one of the fastest-growing formats. The dentsu–e4m Digital Advertising in India report estimates that CTV advertising in India grew more than 30% year-on-year to reach roughly ₹1,500–₹1,800 crore in 2025. While still a relatively small share of overall digital ad expenditure, the format is increasingly viewed by advertisers as the closest digital equivalent to television’s lean-back viewing environment.

That convergence between television’s mass reach and digital’s targeting capabilities lies at the centre of the current pricing debate.

Platform dynamics

Technology platforms that operate within the connected TV ecosystem argue that the format represents a convergence between traditional broadcast storytelling and digital advertising capabilities.

“CTV is no longer a digital add-on but increasingly a bridge between the storytelling impact of linear TV and the precision of digital,” said Shubha Pai, Head of Sales at YouTube India, adding that brands across all sectors are driving full-funnel outcomes every day on YouTube’s CTV offering.

“By leveraging engaging formats like immersive mastheads and snackable Shorts, and even driving shopping through actionable formats such as QR codes and 'send to phone' options, brands are turning passive viewing into active discovery,” she says.

The logic for broadcasters is straightforward. Live sports remain one of the few content formats capable of delivering simultaneous mass audiences in the streaming environment. As viewers increasingly migrate from linear television to internet-connected screens, platforms are attempting to price that attention accordingly.

Noting that live sports remains one of the last true appointment-viewing formats, with IPL matches often watched in shared living-room environments on the largest screen in the home, Mayura Nayak, Co-founder and CRO at Huella Services, said this creates a high-attention viewing experience that brands value far more than fragmented mobile viewing.

“At the same time, connected TV combines the impact of television with digital capabilities like geo-targeting, audience segmentation and measurable reach. This blend of premium context and digital precision means CTV is increasingly being treated as premium sports inventory rather than just an incremental reach layer alongside TV,” she said.

Russhabh Thakkar, Founder and CEO of Frodoh, said connected TV is now being treated less as an extension of digital video and more as the streaming equivalent of television’s living-room screen.

“For marquee properties like the IPL, advertisers are buying attention in a lean-back, high-impact environment. When you combine that with digital targeting and measurement, the ₹600 benchmark starts looking less like a jump and more like a market correction,” Thakkar said.

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The scale of connected viewing is already significant. According to a Kantar study commissioned by Google, 82% of YouTube viewers who watch the platform on connected TVs in India say they prefer it over traditional linear television. As smart television adoption expands and broadband connectivity improves, such viewing behaviour is gradually reshaping how brands think about video consumption across screens.

Advertiser speak

Yet while broadcasters and platforms argue that premium pricing is justified, advertisers themselves appear to be approaching the shift with measured caution.

Gazal Bajaj, Head – Integrated Media & Experiences at Nestlé India, noted that connected TV is gradually becoming an important part of large brands’ media strategies.

“CTV is gradually becoming an important part of our media mix,” Bajaj said.

However, Rajiv Dubey, Head of Media at Dabur, pointed out that inventory on connected TV is still limited while advertiser demand has surged, pushing CPMs higher.

“A significant part of this demand today comes from premium product categories, mutual funds and new-age tech and AI companies like ChatGPT and Gemini that are keen to reach affluent NCCS A households on the big screen.”

“With CTV increasingly becoming the first port of call for live sports viewing and delivering higher attention and engagement, the premiumization of pricing is likely to sustain in the times to come,” he adds.

At the same time, the broader digital advertising ecosystem is becoming more automated and performance-driven. Platforms increasingly rely on machine learning models to optimise campaign delivery across devices, formats and audience segments. This introduces a new challenge for media buyers: measuring the true incremental value of connected TV within an increasingly fragmented multi-screen environment.

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Unlike television, where audience measurement has historically relied on panel-based systems, digital video consumption is distributed across multiple platforms and devices. As a result, advertisers often struggle to accurately measure deduplicated reach across television, mobile and connected TV screens.

Prasun Kumar, Head of Marketing at Magicbricks, said connected TV is helping advertisers reach audiences in a more immersive viewing environment.

“CTV gives brands the ability to combine the emotional storytelling of television with digital precision,” Kumar said. “For large cultural moments like the IPL, that combination becomes especially valuable because advertisers can reach high-intent audiences on a screen that still commands attention.”

That measurement gap remains one of the most frequently cited challenges among media planners evaluating connected TV investments.

Nevertheless, the broader trajectory of CTV advertising in India continues to move upward and for broadcasters and streaming platforms, the IPL has become the most visible test case for whether connected TV can sustain premium pricing.

The tournament has historically functioned as India’s largest annual advertising marketplace, attracting brands across sectors ranging from FMCG and automobiles to fintech, quick commerce and real estate. If advertisers accept higher pricing for CTV inventory during the IPL, it strengthens the argument that streaming sports can command television-like value.

Ravi Adhikari, Brand Lead at Chupps, said the rate hike reflects the rapid growth of connected TV audiences but does not yet place streaming on equal footing with television pricing.

“While TV still commands a higher price point, the recent 25% hike in CTV rates reflects the market’s reality,” Adhikari said. “Audience quality is improving and consumption is growing rapidly. Advertisers aren’t paying TV-level rates just yet, but CTV offers access to one of the fastest-growing premium viewing behaviours in India.”

Market forces

According to the dentsu–e4m Digital Advertising report, video advertising already accounts for more than 30% of India’s digital ad expenditure, making it one of the largest digital advertising categories. As streaming platforms invest more aggressively in sports rights and premium entertainment programming, connected TV is expected to capture a growing share of that video spending.

For now, however, the market appears to be in a transitional phase.

Advertisers recognise the rapid growth of connected TV audiences and the engagement environment of the living room screen. At the same time, many buyers remain cautious about equating streaming CPMs directly with television pricing until measurement frameworks evolve further.

That tension between ambition and evidence may ultimately define the next phase of connected TV advertising in India.

If the past decade of digital advertising was defined by performance marketing and lower-funnel efficiency, the next may increasingly revolve around the search for premium attention environments capable of combining scale, storytelling and measurable outcomes.

In that sense, IPL 2026 may be remembered less for a single pricing change and more for signalling a broader industry shift. The tournament has effectively become India’s laboratory for premium streaming advertising and a place where broadcasters test pricing power, platforms showcase technological capabilities and advertisers evaluate whether Connected TV is ready to stand alongside television as a true prime-time medium.