IPL 2026 saw Bollywood celebs ruling TV, athletes win CTV: TAM report

Celebrity endorsements continued to dominate advertising during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, but brands relied significantly less on celebrities on Connected TV (CTV) than on traditional linear television, highlighting evolving advertising strategies across viewing platforms, according to a TAM Sports report analysing all live IPL 19 matches.

The study found that celebrity-endorsed advertisements accounted for 61% of total advertising volumes on Linear TV, compared with 49% on Connected TV, representing a 24% drop in the share of celebrity-endorsed ads on CTV relative to linear television. Consequently, non-celeb advertisements made up 39% of advertising on linear TV, while they formed the majority on CTV with a 51% share.

The findings are based on commercial advertising volumes measured in "secondages" across all live IPL 19 matches telecast on five Star Network feeds and 12 JioHotstar feeds. The analysis excludes pre-, mid- and post-match programmes, broadcaster promotions, franchise promotions, film trailers, fillers, promos and social advertisements.

The report indicates that while celebrity endorsements remain a powerful marketing tool during India's biggest sporting event, advertisers are increasingly tailoring their campaigns to suit different audience behaviour across traditional television and internet-enabled television platforms.

Film stars dominate Linear TV, sports personalities lead CTV

One of the most striking differences between the two platforms was the type of celebrities brands chose to feature.

On Linear TV, film actors dominated celebrity advertising, accounting for 55% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes, followed by film actresses (22%) and sports personalities (22%). TV actors had a negligible 1% share.

In contrast, Connected TV was led by sports personalities, who contributed 45% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes, overtaking film actors (35%) and film actresses (18%), while TV actors accounted for 2%.

The report also noted that film stars collectively contributed more than 75% of celebrity-endorsed advertising volumes on Linear TV, underlining Bollywood's continued dominance on conventional television. On Connected TV, however, film stars together accounted for just over half of celebrity-endorsed advertising, reflecting a more balanced mix between cinema and sports personalities.

The shift suggests advertisers perceive Connected TV audiences differently, with sports personalities enjoying greater influence among digital viewers compared with traditional television audiences.

More celebrities appeared on Linear TV

Linear television also featured a broader mix of celebrity faces than Connected TV.

According to TAM Sports, 75 celebrities appeared in advertisements on Linear TV, compared with 71 celebrities on Connected TV, making the overall celebrity count around 6% higher on traditional television.

Similarly, the number of sports personalities featured in advertisements was higher on Linear TV. The report recorded 35 sports celebrities on Linear TV, compared with 32 on Connected TV, representing a 9% difference.

The data indicates that advertisers continue to utilise a wider celebrity pool on broadcast television despite increasing digital viewership.

Shah Rukh Khan leads Linear TV; Ishaan Khattar tops Connected TV

Among all celebrities featured in advertisements, Shah Rukh Khan emerged as the biggest advertising face on Linear TV, accounting for 10% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes.

He was followed by:

• Ishaan Khattar – 9%
• Ajay Devgn – 7%
• Amyra Dastur – 7%
• Tiger Shroff – 7%

On Connected TV, Ishaan Khattar emerged as the leading celebrity with a 9% share, tied with Sara Arjun, followed by:

• Ranveer Singh – 7%
• Shubman Gill – 6%
• Prakash Padukone – 4%

The report highlighted that Ishaan Khattar endorsed brands for two different advertisers across both Linear TV and Connected TV, making him one of the few celebrities with a strong presence across both advertising platforms.

Unlike Linear TV, where the top five overall celebrities were exclusively film personalities, the CTV rankings included sports personalities, reflecting the platform's broader endorsement mix.

Rohit Sharma common sports icon across both platforms

Among sports celebrities, Rohit Sharma was the only player to feature prominently across both Linear TV and Connected TV.

On Linear TV, Rohit Sharma led sports celebrity endorsements with a 22.1% share, followed by:

• Hardik Pandya – 16.0%
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 5.1%
• Abhishek Sharma – 5.1%
• Virat Kohli – 5.0%

On Connected TV, the rankings looked markedly different:

• Shubman Gill – 12.4%
• Prakash Padukone – 8.7%
• Rohit Sharma – 7.9%
• Irfan Pathan – 7.8%
• Jemimah Rodrigues – 7.7%

The report noted that Rohit Sharma was the only sports celebrity common among the top five lists across both platforms.

Category preferences differ across platforms

The TAM Sports analysis found significant differences in the sectors investing in celebrity endorsements across Linear TV and Connected TV.

On Linear TV, the top five celebrity-endorsed categories were:

• Mouth Freshener
• Ecom–Other Services
• Paints
• Corporate–Financial Institute
• Air Conditioners

On Connected TV, the top five categories were:

• Ecom–Other Services
• Paints
• Credit Cards
• Air Conditioners
• Biscuits

The report observed that Mouth Freshener emerged as the leading category on Linear TV, while Ecom–Other Services topped Connected TV.

Although both platforms shared categories such as Paints and Air Conditioners, the prominence of digital-first sectors such as E-commerce and Credit Cards on CTV points to advertisers aligning campaigns with digitally engaged audiences.

Overall, the report identified more than 25 categories on Linear TV and more than 30 categories on Connected TV, demonstrating a wider category spread on the digital platform.

Google dominates CTV; Vishnu Packaging leads Linear TV

The advertiser rankings also varied across platforms.

On Linear TV, the top five advertisers using celebrity endorsements were:

• Vishnu Packaging
• Google
• Havells India
• Grasim Industries
• Reliance Consumer Products

On Connected TV, the leading advertisers were:

• Google
• Grasim Industries
• National Payments Corporation of India
• Britannia Industries
• Havells India

TAM Sports noted that Google and Grasim Industries were the two advertisers common to both top-five lists, while Vishnu Packaging emerged as the leading advertiser on Linear TV and Google topped Connected TV.

Three categories common across platforms

The report further observed that three categories and two advertisers were common across both Linear TV and Connected TV during IPL 19, despite the differing platform strategies.

This indicates that while brands are adapting creative strategies for digital audiences, several key sectors continue to maintain an integrated advertising presence across both television ecosystems.

Connected TV strategies becoming more distinct

The findings suggest advertisers are no longer replicating the same celebrity strategies across television platforms.

Linear TV continues to favour Bollywood-led campaigns, leveraging the mass appeal of film actors to maximise reach among traditional television audiences.

Connected TV, on the other hand, is witnessing greater prominence of sports personalities alongside film stars, reflecting the platform's younger, digitally engaged audience base and the growing importance of sports-driven brand communication.

The reduced dependence on celebrity advertising on CTV also suggests advertisers are experimenting with broader creative formats and non-celebrity campaigns on streaming platforms, where audience targeting and personalised advertising offer greater flexibility than conventional television.

Despite these differences, celebrity endorsements remain a dominant component of IPL advertising, accounting for nearly half of all advertising volumes even on Connected TV, underlining the enduring commercial value of star power during India's biggest sporting event.