OOH bowls brands over with big reach this IPL season

It’s officially the Indian Premier League (IPL) season in India, and that means marketers, brand heads, and agencies are in a race to capture maximum eyeballs and drive brand recall. And what better way to do that than with high-impact billboards strategically placed around stadiums and key locations?

The Out-of-Home (OOH) industry is playing a pivotal role in IPL 2025, with brands leveraging it to cut through the noise. According to the M&E report 2025, India’s OOH segment grew 10% in 2024 to reach an all-time high of Rs 5,920 crore, which includes traditional, transit, and digital media, but excludes untracked and unorganised OOH media, such as wall paintings, billboards, ambient media, storefronts, and proxy advertising. 

The report said, “Growth was driven by its ability to provide affluent audiences to advertisers, increasing urbanisation, growth in transit media and premium digital ad inventory.” 

According to industry experts, key players investing heavily in outdoor advertising include gaming and fantasy sports platforms like Dream11, MPL, and MyCircle, which are running aggressive campaigns to engage users.

Summer-centric categories, such as cooling appliances and beverages, are also capitalising on the season. Meanwhile, the BFSI sector—including digital payment apps, credit card companies, and insurance firms—is using OOH to reinforce brand recall, particularly for instant payment solutions that see a surge in demand during IPL. There are also e-commerce brands like Amazon and Flipkart in the list that are expected to leverage OOH extensively, targeting consumers who make impulse purchases, particularly during matches.

“IPL’s scale and frequency make it one of the most effective platforms for OOH. Brands that leverage outdoor advertising alongside digital and TV see a 30-40% increase in brand recall, with metros and Tier-1 cities witnessing even higher engagement. OOH ensures continuous visibility—before, during, and after the matches—keeping the brand top-of-mind across consumer touchpoints,” said Amarjeet Hudda, COO, Laqshya Media Limited. 

He added that for such brands, IPL campaigns lead to higher footfall in retail stores, increased app downloads, and better engagement on digital platforms when combined with impactful outdoor branding. With the right mix of placements, IPL-linked OOH campaigns don’t just create buzz, they drive real business results, according to Hudda.

Dr Yogesh Lakhani, CMD, Bright Outdoor Media Limited, said, “The outdoor sector is positioned really well. Over the last two to three years, outdoor advertising has bounced back strongly, especially post-COVID. IPL is a high-impact medium, and brands associated with the franchise, as well as central brands linked with IPL, make the most of this opportunity.” 

“This season, we are seeing a surge in new billboards and high-traffic placements, particularly from BFSI and e-commerce brands. The trend suggests a strong and growing reliance on outdoor advertising as a key medium for brand visibility during major sporting events like IPL,” he further added. 

This was reiterated by Hudda, who further added that IPL has always been a game-changer for advertisers, and 2025 will be no different. The tournament guarantees massive visibility, and he expects brands to go all out with integrated campaigns across TV, digital, and outdoor. “From an OOH perspective, there’s already growing interest in high-impact placements, digital OOH (DOOH), and tech-driven innovations like dynamic creatives and real-time content updates.” 

Meanwhile, Nikhil Rangnekar, CEO at Interspace Media explained that IPL’s unmatched visibility in terms of reach as well as time spent, fan loyalty, consumer engagement on various platforms, including social media, timing of IPL in sync with brand seasonality make IPL a prime platform for high-impact campaigns. 

Ad formats

For most of the brands looking to invest in OOH, large-format billboards remain consistently popular, said Lakhani, especially in high-visibility areas near stadiums and commercial hubs. DOOH is gaining quick popularity, especially amongst brands that want to showcase dynamic ads with real-time match updates. He further added that transit media, such as branding on metro trains, airport spaces, and cabs, is another major trend. “With IPL teams frequently traveling, these formats provide high engagement opportunities. Experiential advertising is also gaining traction.”

“Demand is typically for medium and not individual formats. However, if the campaign is to create high impact, large-size billboards and digital billboards witness higher demand,” added Rangnekar. 

For Hudda, IPL is all about high engagement, and for OOH, it’s about owning the moment where audiences are most receptive. “This year, we’re focusing on impactful outdoor takeovers, real-time dynamic content on DOOH, and hyperlocal branding around key consumer hotspots. We’re also working on experiential activations that merge digital with outdoor, ensuring brands don’t just get seen but also interacted with,” he said, adding that IPL is fast-paced, and hence the strategy is to make outdoor media just as dynamic and engaging as the game itself.

Lakhani said, “It’s all about strategic placement. Brands focus on high-footfall areas such as stadium vicinities, airports, and key transit routes to engage the IPL audience.” For instance, in Mumbai, these locations are particularly valuable for outdoor advertising.

Despite the heightened demand for advertising during IPL, the outdoor segment follows a different pricing trend than TV and digital. While TV and digital media see a price surge during this period, OOH rates remain relatively stable, with no significant increase compared to regular times.

According to Rangnekar, while rates of any IPL related activity go up every year, rates on other media typically come down due to lower reach and time spent on these media.

Maximising ROI

How can brands maximize their return on investment (ROI) during IPL? The answer is simple: adopting a multi-platform approach. By implementing a well-integrated, multi-channel strategy, brands can amplify their reach, enhance engagement, and ensure stronger brand recall across diverse audience touchpoints.

Rangnekar said, “Advertisers who invest heavily in IPL mostly use multiple platforms to maximise ROI. This includes on-air advertising on linear TV as well as OTT, broadcast sponsorships, team branding, activation, meet and greet, consumer promos etc.” He further noted that advertisers who steer clear of IPL take advantage of the dip in viewership for other content, using it as leverage to negotiate better rates and improve their ROI. 

Thus, with the IPL season in full swing, OOH continues to be a powerful tool for brands aiming to maximize visibility and engagement. The tournament's massive reach, combined with strategic outdoor placements, ensures sustained brand recall and consumer interaction. As advertisers adopt multi-platform strategies, integrating OOH with digital, TV, and experiential activations, they can drive impactful campaigns that go beyond mere visibility to deliver tangible business results. With growing innovations in digital OOH and experiential branding, IPL 2025 is set to redefine how brands leverage outdoor advertising for maximum impact.