IPL 2025: Brands double down on ROI, non-IPL category sees up to 24% jump

IPL is not only India’s biggest sporting event, but is also a marketing haven for brands looking to grab maximum eyeballs. Staying true to this - IPL 2025 is on its way to becoming a performance-led moment, moving from traditional ads to ROI-driven campaigns. 

Brands are no longer just satisfied with eyeballs and reach - they want conversions and ROI on their campaigns, which is fueled by interactive ads and regional market targeting, along with tools that help in measuring ROI in real time. 

Anshu Yardi, VP Business Partnerships & Communication, TAM outlined three major shifts since 2019: the evolution of ad formats to interactive, QR-led creatives; a move from reach to ROI-driven campaigns; and a rise in regional and multilingual customisations. Looking ahead to 2025, she said IPL will become a performance-led moment, powered by programmatic CTV, AI-driven regional creatives, real-time ROI tools, and sharper focus on viewability in a fragmented, multi-screen world.

Yardi highlighted a significant post-COVID shift in IPL advertising—from linear TV to a multi-screen strategy with rising investments in OTT and CTV. Quoting TAM data, she noted a 24% drop in FCT ads and a 39% fall in digitally embedded ads since 2019. Traditional sectors like telecom and auto gave way to BFSI and F&B, while FMCG stayed consistent and newer players like fintech and food delivery gained momentum.

Viewership in IPL is also increasingly moving from linear TV to OTT and Connected TV (CTV), with CTV viewership seeing a 2.25x jump from 2023 to 2024, according to Sandeep Ranade, EVP & Head - Quantitative Research Division, Hansa Research Group. 

He said, “Advertisers that span across multiple media platforms - TV, digital, on-ground - experience significantly higher uplift in brand awareness (35-50%) compared to TV-only campaigns. Jersey sponsorships, boundary branding, and on-ground pads are among the most recalled brand placements. Notably, non-core IPL categories like food, fashion, and footwear are also seeing strong uplifts (16-24%), validating IPL’s expanding relevance beyond its traditional male-centric demographic."

Ranade further added that brands that spread IPL ad spends across TV, digital, and on-ground assets like jerseys and boundary branding see stronger uplift than single-channel campaigns. Non-core categories like food, fashion, and footwear are also gaining traction. Shifting fan loyalties and rising stars offer fresh opportunities for smarter brand alignments across markets.

Digital leaning

It is a known fact that digital is no longer a choice for brands - it’s central to how brands perform. “Digital is no longer just an add-on—it’s becoming central to how brands engage, measure, and drive impact during the IPL," Karthik Shankar, Head - Digital Investments, GroupM observed, highlighting the growing sophistication in how campaigns are executed across multiple touchpoints.

He further emphasised IPL’s transformation into a technology and data-led ecosystem, with auction moments and live events now serving as marketing opportunities. He spoke about how digital has empowered brands with granular targeting and measurability. In partnership with JioHotstar, GroupM created over 400 campaign innovations, allowing brands to experiment with formats, influencer integrations, and hyper-local activations. Shankar reinforced that live sports remain unmatched in capturing audience attention in a distracted digital environment.

Brand perspective

Offering a perspective on how marketers and brands can leverage IPL, Deepa Mathew, Chief Insights and Digital Marketing Officer, CEAT highlighted the power of IPL’s visibility, emphasising the value of CEAT’s ownership of the strategic timeout. “In a low-involvement category like tyres, visibility is everything. The timeout gives us 150 seconds of undivided national attention—across TV, OTT, stadium screens, and social media", she noted.

She illustrated how the brand leverages this moment not just for visibility but deep consumer engagement. From QR codes on stadium boards driving web traffic to CGI-driven social content, CEAT has transformed a 150-second ad slot into a full-funnel marketing engine. Deepa underscored how consistency and creativity have elevated CEAT in a low-involvement category, turning recall into tangible business outcomes.

The discussion took place at the session hosted by The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) which held its third Wednesday Webinar of the eighth season on April 3, 2025, on ‘IPL Advertising: Impact, Evolution & Opportunity - How brands are playing the IPL game across TV, Digital and On-Ground - and what’s their Scorecard?’.