IPL 2026 ad volumes up 4%: TAM Sports

Advertising intensity during the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued its upward trajectory in the 2026 season, with average advertising volume per channel per match increasing 4% over the previous season, even as the number of advertisers, brands and categories participating in the tournament declined, according to a new report by TAM Sports.

The report, which analysed commercial advertising across 74 live IPL 2026 matches on both Linear Television and Connected TV (CTV), found that ad inventory utilisation remained robust, pointing to stronger concentration of advertising spends among leading brands and advertisers.

According to TAM Sports, indexed advertising volume during IPL 2026 was 4.9% higher than IPL 2025 and 5% higher than IPL 2024. The increase came despite a reduction in advertiser participation, suggesting that marketers who remained active during the tournament increased their visibility and share of voice.

The report highlighted that average ad volume per channel per match grew by 4% in IPL 2026 compared with IPL 2025. Among various tournament stages, the first playoff match recorded the sharpest increase in advertising activity, witnessing nearly 40% growth compared with the corresponding playoff fixture in IPL 2025. Advertising volumes rose across league matches, the first playoff, second playoff and final, with the eliminator emerging as the only stage to record a decline.

Fewer advertisers, brands and categories

While ad volumes expanded, the number of advertising categories during IPL 2026 fell to over 60 categories from more than 70 categories in IPL 2025 and IPL 2024. Advertiser count dropped sharply to around 65, compared with more than 110 in IPL 2025 and over 85 in IPL 2024.

Similarly, the number of brands advertising during the tournament fell to around 125, down from over 200 brands in IPL 2025 and more than 155 in IPL 2024.

TAM Sports said the decline in categories, advertisers and brands resulted in reduced clutter and greater visibility for participating marketers.

Services sector dominates ad volumes

Services emerged as the largest advertising sector on both Linear TV and CTV during IPL 2026.

On Linear TV, Services and Food & Beverages each accounted for 28% of total advertising volume, followed by Auto (10%), BFSI (9%) and Durables (7%). Together, the top five sectors contributed more than 80% of total advertising inventory.

On CTV, Services led with a 19% share, followed by Auto (13%), Food & Beverages (9%), BFSI (7%) and Telecom Products (6%). The top five sectors together contributed more than half of total advertising volume on the platform.

Four of the top five sectors were common across both television and connected television platforms.

E-commerce services remain biggest category

Among individual categories, Ecom-Other Services emerged as the largest advertising category across both Linear TV and CTV.

On Linear TV, Ecom-Other Services accounted for 14% of advertising volume, followed by Mouth Fresheners (13%), Two Wheelers (6%), Energy Drinks (5%) and Paints (5%).

On CTV, Ecom-Other Services commanded an 11% share, ahead of Cars (8%), Smartphones (6%), Ecom-Online Shopping (4%) and Paints (4%).

The top five categories accounted for 44% of total advertising volume on Linear TV and 33% on CTV. More than 35 categories were common across the two platforms.

Google tops advertiser rankings

Google emerged as the largest advertiser across both Linear TV and CTV during IPL 2026.

On Linear TV, Google accounted for 11% of ad volume, followed by Reliance Consumer Products (9%), Havells India (6%), Vishnu Packaging (6%) and K P Pan Foods (4%).

On CTV, Google increased its share to 13%, ahead of Tata Motors (4%), Havells India (4%), Maruti Suzuki India (3%) and Reliance Consumer Products (3%).

The top five advertisers accounted for 37% of advertising volume on Linear TV and 26% on CTV. More than 30 advertisers were common across both platforms.

Google Search and Gemini among leading brands

At the brand level, Google Search Engine emerged as the most advertised brand across both viewing platforms.

On Linear TV, Google Search Engine accounted for 7% of ad volume, followed by Vimal Elaichi Pan Masala (6%), Campa Energy Drink (4%), AMFI (Association of Mutual Funds in India) (4%) and Google Gemini (4%).

On CTV, Google Search Engine again led with a 7% share, followed by Google Gemini (3%), Maruti Suzuki e-Vitara (3%), Tata Sierra (3%) and RuPay Credit Card (2%).

The top five brands accounted for 23% of ad volume on Linear TV and 19% on CTV. Google Search Engine and Google Gemini were among the brands common to both platforms.

CTV attracts broader advertiser participation

The report found that Connected TV hosted a more diverse advertiser base than traditional television.

CTV recorded more than 35 exclusive categories compared with over 20 exclusive categories on Linear TV. Similarly, CTV attracted more than 60 exclusive advertisers, compared with over 30 exclusive advertisers on Linear TV.

Among exclusive CTV categories, Credit Cards ranked first, followed by Adhesives, Fast Food Outlets, Corporate-FMCG and Astrologers.

The leading exclusive advertisers on CTV included Tata Motors, Vivo Mobile India, Renault India, Colgate Palmolive India and Pidilite Industries.

On Linear TV, the leading exclusive categories were Chocolates, Internet Service Providers, Perfumes and Deodorants, Televisions and Cement. Exclusive advertisers included K P Pan Foods, OpenAI, Cadbury India, Skoda Auto and GCMMF (Amul).

Category mix undergoes significant changes

IPL 2026 also witnessed a notable shift in category participation.

More than 15 new categories appeared during the season compared with IPL 2025, while over 25 categories that advertised in IPL 2025 were absent in IPL 2026.

Among the newly added categories, Chocolates emerged as the leading entrant, followed by Wires and Cables, Auto Rental Services, Televisions and Laptops/Notebooks.

Meanwhile, categories that disappeared from the advertising roster included E-commerce Gaming, Real Estate, Lubricants, Furniture-related Products and E-commerce Travel and Tourism.

Regional and national channels share 100 common brands

TAM Sports also analysed brand presence across Hindi-English sports channels and regional-language sports channels.

A total of 100 brands advertised on both regional and national sports channels during the tournament.

Among common brands, Google Search Engine led the rankings, followed by Vimal Elaichi Pan Masala, AMFI, Google Gemini and ChatGPT.

Regional-language channels featured 26 exclusive brands, with Campa Purple Energy, Campa Power Up, Google Pay, Lloyd AC Luxuria Collection and Ramraj Hosiery among the top names.

National Hindi and English sports channels had only three exclusive brands, including Amul Lassi, Amul Protein Products and Muthoot Mini Loan Against Gold.

Short-duration advertisements dominate

Short-format advertising remained the preferred choice for marketers during IPL 2026.

Advertisements of less than 10 seconds accounted for 54% of all ad insertions during commercial breaks, up from 50% in IPL 2025.

Ads between 11 and 20 seconds accounted for 39% of insertions, while longer 20–40 second advertisements represented 6%.

However, TAM Sports noted that the share of 20–40 second advertisements increased compared with the previous season, indicating some advertiser preference for longer storytelling formats despite the dominance of short-duration spots.

The analysis was based on commercial advertising aired during live IPL matches across Linear TV and Connected TV, excluding promotional content, broadcaster advertisements, fillers and film trailers.