IPL 2026 Sees 2% Growth in TV Ad Volumes Amid Viewing Shift

Indian Premier League 2026, also known as IPL Season 19, has signalled a return to growth in television advertising, with overall ad volumes recording a 2 percent increase after 48 matches compared with the corresponding period of the previous season, according to the latest TAM Sports-IPL 19 Advertising Report covering both linear TV and connected TV (CTV).

While traditional television continued to dominate in categories such as mouth fresheners and two-wheelers, the report highlighted a growing divergence between advertiser behaviour on CTV and linear TV, with digital-first brands, automobile companies and premium consumer categories increasingly leaning towards connected television.

The analysis, based on 48 matches, also showed that although a sizeable pool of advertisers and categories remained common across both platforms, each medium is steadily developing its own advertising ecosystem.

CTV emerges as premium, digital-first advertising destination

The report showed that Ecom-Other Services emerged as the top advertising category on CTV with a 10 percent share of ad volumes. Cars followed with a 6 percent share, while cellular phones/smartphones accounted for 5 percent. Paints and air conditioners each contributed a 4 percent share on the CTV platform.

The category mix on CTV reflected a stronger presence of premium and digitally driven sectors, suggesting that brands are increasingly viewing connected TV audiences as urban, high-intent consumers.

On the advertiser front, Google dominated CTV advertising with a 14 percent share. Havells India followed at 4 percent, while Reliance Consumer Products, Grasim Industries and Amazon Online India each accounted for a 3 percent share.

The report also highlighted several categories that appeared only on CTV during the first 48 matches. Credit cards ranked first among exclusive CTV categories, followed by astrologers, fast food outlets, corporate FMCG and hotels.

Similarly, Tata Motors emerged as the leading exclusive advertiser on CTV, followed by Renault India, Voltas Limited, Astrotalk Services and Jubilant FoodWorks.

The presence of categories such as credit cards, hotels and fast food outlets underlined how brands linked to urban consumption and discretionary spending are increasingly prioritising connected TV.

Linear TV continues to attract mass-market categories

Linear television, meanwhile, remained driven largely by mass-consumption categories.

Mouth fresheners emerged as the top category on linear TV with a 14 percent share of ad volumes, followed closely by Ecom-Other Services at 13 percent.

Two-wheelers accounted for a 6 percent share, while corporate financial institutions and energy drink categories contributed 5 percent each.

The advertiser mix on linear TV also reflected stronger participation from FMCG-linked and mass-market brands.

Google remained the top advertiser on linear TV, with an 11 percent share. Reliance Consumer Products followed at 10 percent, while Havells India accounted for a 7 percent share.

Vishnu Packaging and K P Pan Foods ranked fourth and fifth, with 6 percent and 5 percent shares respectively.

The report further identified categories that remained exclusive to linear TV during the first 48 matches. Chocolates topped the list, followed by branded jewellery, perfumes and deodorants, mortgage loans and artificial sweeteners.

Among exclusive advertisers on linear TV, K P Pan Foods ranked first, followed by OpenAI, Skoda Auto, Cadbury India and TVS Motor Company.

The findings suggested that traditional television continues to provide scale for categories targeting broader household audiences and regional reach.

Significant overlap, but platforms developing distinct identities

Despite the differences in category composition, the report pointed to a substantial overlap between CTV and linear TV advertisers.

More than 35 categories were common across both platforms, while over 30 advertisers appeared on both CTV and linear TV during the analysed period.

Ecom-Other Services emerged as the leading common category across both platforms, followed by mouth fresheners, paints, cars and corporate financial institutions.

Among advertisers, Google ranked first among common advertisers, followed by Reliance Consumer Products, Havells India, Vishnu Packaging and AMFI (Association of Mutual Funds in India). However, the divergence was equally notable.

CTV recorded more than 25 exclusive categories and over 40 exclusive advertisers, compared with more than 15 exclusive categories and over 25 exclusive advertisers on linear TV.

The sharper skew towards exclusive advertisers on CTV indicated that connected TV is increasingly attracting brands that may not traditionally invest heavily in mass television advertising.

Shift reflects changing viewing behaviour

The IPL remains one of the country’s largest advertising properties, but the TAM data suggests that the tournament’s advertising ecosystem is becoming more fragmented across viewing platforms.

While linear TV still offers unmatched mass reach for FMCG-heavy and broad-consumption categories, connected TV is emerging as a targeted premium environment for auto, tech, financial and digital-native advertisers.

The 2 percent growth in overall ad volumes also marks a recovery from the relatively muted advertising sentiment seen across parts of the broader media market over the past year.

With streaming consumption continuing to rise during live sports, advertisers appear to be increasingly calibrating campaigns based on audience profile rather than relying solely on scale.

The latest IPL data indicates that the distinction between linear television and connected television is no longer merely technological; it is now shaping category participation, advertiser strategy and media allocation decisions across the sports broadcasting ecosystem.