IPL 2025 TV ad volumes dip 1.1%, despite 24% rise in advertisers: TAM report

Delhi: Despite the frenzy around the Indian Premier League 2025, advertising volume growth on Television declined by 1.1%, falling short of the benchmark set during the 62-match season of the previous year, the latest TAM AdEx report highlighted.

The report, based on the first 62 matches of IPL Season 18, reveals that indexed TV ad volumes stood at 98.88 in IPL 2025 compared to a base of 100 during the same phase of IPL 2024. 

This slight decline comes even as the league reported a healthy influx of advertisers and categories, hinting at a broader shift in advertising strategies and media consumption patterns. According to the TAM report, the 18th season of the IPL witnessed strong brand momentum, registering a 26% uptick in brand count. 

Advertisers, too, stayed buoyant with their count up by 24% as of the 62 matches that have been played in the IPL 2025. Parle biscuits emerged as the leading advertiser, followed by Vishnu Packaging (Vimal Elaichi), Reliance Consumer Products, Sports Technologies (Dream 11), and KP Pan Foods (Kamla Pasand). The top 5 advertisers in the IPL 18 contributed 30% of the overall ad volumes. 

Zooming in on the sports channels, Amul Butter was the top exclusive brand on the Hindi + English language sports channels. Regional language sports channels, on the other hand, saw IPL Sunrisers Hyderabad as the top brand running its advertising on the medium. 

It is important to note that TAM’s analysis is based strictly on commercial advertising and does not account for promos, fillers, or short-format programming. The report also clarifies that the data reflects only television advertising and does not factor in digital streaming figures from JioCinema, which has emerged as a major player in recent IPL seasons. 

This segmentation is critical, as digital has increasingly become a co-primary medium for both audiences and advertisers during IPL, particularly among younger and urban cohorts.

The near flat TV ad volumes, despite a richer advertiser mix, could indicate significant strategic shifts. Brands have been experimenting with performance-led advertising, shorter & targeted bursts on TV, instead of high-frequency campaigns.