FIFA World Cup 2026 ad volumes on linear TV dip 4%; CTV widens advertiser base: TAM

The FIFA World Cup 2026 may have witnessed a marginal decline in advertising volumes on traditional television, but the tournament underscored a significant shift in advertiser preference toward Connected TV (CTV), with the digital platform attracting a wider mix of categories, advertisers and brands than linear television, according to a TAM Sports report.

The report, which analysed commercial advertising across all 104 live matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, found that advertising volumes on linear television declined by 4% compared with the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, the decline narrowed considerably as the tournament progressed despite the challenge of India–US match timings, which were separated by approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes.

According to TAM Sports, advertising volumes during the first 62 matches were down 14%, but stronger advertiser participation during the latter half of the tournament reduced the overall decline to just 4% by the end of the competition. Average advertising volume per channel per match during the second half of the tournament surged 53% over the first half on linear television.

The report attributes the resilience in advertising demand to renewed marketer confidence during the knockout stages, even as unconventional match timings posed challenges for Indian television audiences.

Connected TV emerges as a broader advertising platform

While traditional television continued to command substantial advertiser interest, Connected TV emerged as the more diversified advertising platform during the tournament.

CTV featured advertisements from 28 product categories, compared with 17 categories on linear television. It also attracted 31 advertisers against 17 on linear TV, while the number of brands advertising stood at 44 on CTV, significantly higher than the 29 brands present on traditional television.

The findings suggest that advertisers increasingly view Connected TV as an effective medium to reach digitally connected sports audiences through targeted campaigns and premium inventory.

Linear TV advertising remains highly concentrated

Despite the broader advertiser participation on CTV, advertising on linear television remained heavily concentrated among a handful of sectors.

Liquor emerged as the largest advertising category on linear television, accounting for 35% of total ad volumes during the tournament. The automobile category followed with a 34% share, while two-wheelers, jewellery retail and perfumes/deodorants completed the top five.

Collectively, the five leading categories accounted for 82% of advertising volumes on linear television.

In contrast, CTV presented a more balanced advertising mix. Cars led with a 22% share, followed by aerated soft drinks at 14%, jewellery retail at 7%, liquor at 5%, and luggage at 4%. The top five categories together contributed only 51% of ad volumes, highlighting a significantly more diversified advertiser base. The report also noted that only 16 advertising categories were common across both platforms.

Advertiser concentration lower on CTV

The disparity was equally visible among advertisers.

On linear television, the top five advertisers accounted for 82% of total advertising volumes. United Spirits emerged as the leading advertiser with a 38% share, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra at 31%, Hero MotoCorp at 6%, Apple Computer India at 4%, and Maruti Suzuki India at 3%.

On Connected TV, however, the leading five advertisers contributed 51% of total ad volumes. Mahindra & Mahindra topped the rankings with 20%, followed by United Spirits at 18%, Pernod Ricard India and Kalyan Jewellers India at 4% each, and Hero MotoCorp at 3%.

The report noted that 16 advertisers were common across both platforms, including Mahindra & Mahindra, United Spirits and Hero MotoCorp.

Brand visibility differs across platforms

Brand rankings also reflected varying advertising strategies across the two viewing platforms.

On linear television, the top five brands together accounted for 62% of advertising volumes. Black Dog Soda emerged as the leading brand with a 23% share, followed by Mahindra Thar Roxx at 16%, Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water at 10%, Mahindra BE 6 at 7%, and Mahindra XEV 9E at 6%.

On Connected TV, the top five brands represented only 38% of ad volumes. Black & White Non-Alcoholic Carbonated Beverages led with 14%, followed by Mahindra Thar Roxx (8%), Mahindra XEV 9E (7%), Mahindra BE 6 (5%) and Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water (5%).

Four of the top five brands were common across both platforms, indicating that several large advertisers adopted integrated cross-platform campaigns while tailoring creative execution for different audiences.

CTV attracts exclusive advertiser categories

One of the report's strongest indicators of the growing appeal of Connected TV was the number of exclusive advertisers and categories present only on the platform.

CTV featured 12 exclusive advertising categories, compared with just one exclusive category on linear television. Likewise, 15 advertisers advertised exclusively on Connected TV, while only one advertiser remained exclusive to traditional television.

Among the leading exclusive categories on CTV were luggage, e-commerce education, laptops and notebooks, tyres, and vitamins, tonics and health supplements.

The top exclusive advertisers included Pernod Ricard India, Eduauraa Technologies, Lenovo, Ceat India and Naturell (India).

Digital sports advertising gains momentum

The findings underline the evolving nature of sports advertising in India, where Connected TV is increasingly complementing traditional television rather than merely serving as an extension of it.

While linear television continued to deliver scale and remained the preferred platform for large categories such as liquor and automobiles, Connected TV attracted a broader advertiser ecosystem spanning education technology, consumer electronics, luggage and healthcare, reflecting its ability to deliver targeted, premium audiences.

The report also demonstrates that although traditional television experienced a modest decline in advertising volumes due to unfavourable match timings, advertiser participation strengthened as the tournament advanced. At the same time, CTV's ability to attract more categories, brands and exclusive advertisers points to a structural shift in media planning strategies for premium live sports properties.

The analysis was based on commercial advertising aired during breaks in all 104 live FIFA World Cup 2026 matches across seven linear television channels and four Connected TV language feeds. The study excluded pre-match, mid-match and post-match programming, broadcaster promotions, fillers and film trailers.