Ad tech firms cash in on IPL, eye 20-30% annual revenue

New Delhi: The Indian Premier League is much more than a cricket tournament. It is a billion-dollar spectacle in which brands, players, and fans collide in a high-stakes game of attention and revenue. 

According to reports, sports advertising has reached a mammoth Rs 16,633 crores in 2024. Out of which, 85% of the revenue is from cricketing events. And in those cricketing events, the IPL emerges as the kingpin. 

During the IPL season, the spotlight often shines on big ad agencies rolling out star-studded campaigns, media agencies securing prime spots, JioStar selling advertising, agencies like OOH, and influencer marketing firms cashing in on the frenzy. But behind the scenes, an equally crucial force powers the league’s commercial success — ad tech companies.

These unsung architects drive the IPL’s marketing machine, helping brands scale their reach, engage millions in real-time, and break through the noise of a crowded digital landscape.

The architects

Take Gupshup for instance. During the IPL season, the agency witnesses a 20-25% surge in demand for conversational AI-led engagement solutions. “The tournament’s concentrated period of high fan engagement creates an ideal environment for brands looking to connect with consumers through AI-powered messaging platforms,” said Vartika Verma, Senior Director - Global Marketing, Gupshup. 

For Valueleaf, IPL is a property that scales up its revenues 1.5x. “Our revenues increase by almost 1.5 times during these two months. In terms of contribution, this period accounts for a significant portion of our annual revenue. We generate approximately 15-20% of our total yearly revenue during the IPL season,” said Chandrashekhar Naik, Senior Vice President, Valueleaf. 

Helping brands make sense of their digital campaigns, Huella is a new kid in town. Prrincey Roy, CEO and co-founder, Huella, told BestMediaInfo.com that 15-18% of their annual business is driven by IPL. “IPL is all about energy, interactivity, emotion, and recall. As brands move away from plain vanilla ads and start looking for formats that actually engage, that’s where we come in,” she said. 

Speaking on the contribution made by IPL to their annual revenue, Ovez Khan, Group CEO and founder, Trivium Media Group, said, “IPL-related campaigns contribute a significant portion, around 40%, of our annual business. The tournament creates an advertising frenzy where brands are willing to spend aggressively on high-impact campaigns, influencer marketing, and performance-driven digital advertising. 

As per Qoruz, influencer marketing investments alone are expected to cross Rs 550 crore in IPL 2025. This surge in spending translates to increased project volumes for us across creative campaigns, digital amplification, and brand partnerships.” 

The architecture

Agencies that work behind the curtains and cast spells to build the magic of IPL’s commercial juggernaut have extremely intricate machinery of affiliate marketers, tech innovators, and digital guardians working tirelessly. 

Deciphering how IPL impacts the operations and overall infrastructure, Dhiraj Gupta, co-founder and CTO, mFilterIt, said, “Based on our experience, prime-time slots and audience engagement patterns change dynamically during the IPL. These shifts are driven by factors such as match schedules, viewer behaviour, and regional preferences. 

To help brands maximise their investments, we focus on analysing time slots carefully. Our goal is to distinguish genuine audience engagement from inflated metrics, enabling advertisers to optimise their media strategies effectively.” 

Gupta stated that IPL is “not just about scaling infrastructure; it is about scaling intelligence – helping brands make agile, data-backed decisions that go beyond surface-level impressions and clicks.”  

Another aspect that demands tweaks at mFilterIt is the regional demographic. “IPL viewership isn’t uniform across geographies. Brands looking to connect with local audiences need insights beyond national trends, such as multi-language engagement patterns and regional ad impact measurement. This level of granularity allows for localised media strategies that resonate better with target audiences,” said Gupta. 

Gupshup’s Verma chimed in, saying, “From an infrastructure perspective, we have already implemented seamless operations management to ensure uptime and scalability. We further scale our systems to handle the massive surge in message volume. 

Additionally, we strengthen our redundancy systems and failover protocols to guarantee zero downtime during peak match moments. The real challenge isn’t just managing the overall increase in volume but handling extreme spikes during crucial moments, such as final overs or key wickets, when message throughput can suddenly surge 15-20 times within seconds.” 

Naik from Valueleaf explained how necessary adjustments are made in real-time to optimise their engagement with the clients. “We understand the significant budgets allocated during the IPL season. To manage this effectively, we dedicate specific resources and closely monitor campaigns, especially those with heavy budgets, at least five times a day. This allows us to make necessary adjustments in real time.

Our dedicated team includes not just client managers and media specialists but also experts focused on data analytics and MIS (Management Information Systems) to track and optimise performance. On the infrastructure side, we anticipate increased spending on biddable media. Given this, we often establish credit limits with biddable media platforms to ensure smooth operations and uninterrupted campaign execution,” he said. 

Trivium significantly expands its operations capacity well in advance. Scaling media buying operations, deploying AI-based targeting, enhancing the content production pipeline, and strengthening influencer-brand partnerships are some of the things that are tweaked, as shared by Khan. 

Huella’s Roy shared that while scaling infrastructure is not required in their case, the pace changes drastically. “We don’t need to scale anything specifically for IPL—our systems are already designed for speed and agility. What changes is the pace. Everything moves faster—briefs arrive late, timelines shrink, and teams shift into full execution mode.

Wherever possible, we prepare in advance, especially on the Newsroom AI side, since many clients want to react in real-time to match developments. Connected TV (CTV) also sees higher demand for interactive and regional content, so we ensure we’re ready for that.” 

The demand

With the rising digital clutter, demand for such agencies comes to an all-time high during the IPL season. The inflated budgets of brands during IPL are a respite for ancillaries. 

Quantifying the amount that flows into the channels fostered by these agencies, Valueleaf’s Naik said, “Some of the leading brands that we work with are spending upwards of Rs 10 crore each day for the services – digital, ATL, BTL, among others.”

Gupshup’s Verma stated that budget spendings from brands increase 2-3 times their normal monthly spending. “The most significant investment shift we see is toward real-time interactive experiences. Brands allocate substantial resources to creating dynamic conversational flows that respond to match events as they unfold,” Verma told BestMediaInfo.com. 

Charting out the structure of these investments, Verma added, “The investment pattern typically follows a ‘tournament curve’ – starting with foundational implementations before the first match, scaling up during group stages, and reaching peak investment during knockout rounds when audience engagement reaches its peak.” 

Trivium’s Khan stated that the agency sees a substantial increase in funding across diverse verticals in which the agency provides its services. “We see brands focusing on digital-first IPL campaigns, where they employ programmatic advertising, OTT platform campaigns, and AI-driven media planning. 

Additionally, many brands rely on our expertise to facilitate influencer collaborations, partnering with both macro and micro-influencers that resonate with their target audience. 

Furthermore, a considerable number of brands integrate themselves into the IPL narrative through on-ground activations and branded content, leveraging creative storytelling, co-branded content, and event-based activations.” 

A lot of brands are also incorporating unique activations, interactive formats, and engaging campaigns. Huella’s Roy shared the nature of the demands that they receive from advertisers. 

“For us, IPL isn’t about big-ticket spends—at least not yet. Instead, we see brands coming to us when they want to experiment with something new. It could be their first time running an interactive CTV format or using Newsroom AI for quick creative turnarounds in multiple languages,” Roy stated. 

She added, “One trend that really stands out is the growing interest in our Blinkit rider tracking page. Match timings lead to a surge in orders, and brands love the opportunity to engage users at that exact moment—while they’re waiting for something to arrive.

So, it’s not about massive investments but rather smart, strategic experiments. For many brands, IPL serves as the push they need to step beyond traditional ad formats and try something truly fresh.” 

The IPL stardust

IPL, without a doubt, is a huge money-churning machine. But what do agencies like Gupshup, Valueleaf, and Huella see in this property? 

Sharing her two cents, Verma from Gupshup said, “Unlike traditional sports broadcasts where viewers might passively consume content, IPL fans actively engage with second-screen experiences during matches, creating natural insertion points for conversational AI. For Gupshup, this means higher total message volumes and more sophisticated implementation opportunities.” 

Contributing his thoughts, Naik, representing Valueleaf, said, “We are arguably the leading performance marketing agency in the gaming sector. Almost all the top gaming brands and startups in India have worked with us, making the IPL the most lucrative opportunity for our business.

We plan our forecasts, resource allocation, and overall strategy well in advance, keeping IPL in mind. In fact, despite it being summertime, very few people take leaves during these two months because the workload is at its peak. For us at Valueleaf, IPL is not just another event—it is the most important time of the year.” 

Roy from Huella stated that IPL gives them the “right context”. “IPL isn’t just a cricket tournament—it’s a whole mood. People aren’t just watching; they’re talking about the matches, shopping, and reacting online. This combination of high attention and high intent makes it a prime opportunity for us.

We’re not competing for ad spots during the match broadcast. Instead, we focus on creating formats that capture audiences in those in-between moments—like on Blinkit’s rider tracking page when they’ve just placed an order during match time or through interactive CTV ads that engage viewers in a relaxed, lean-back mode.

IPL gives us the perfect context to showcase what we do best—creating ads that people actually engage with,” she told BestMediaInfo.com. 

Khan from Trivium also shared why IPL is a hard-to-miss opportunity for them. “While other sporting events like the ICC World Cup and Pro Kabaddi League offer advertising potential, the IPL remains unmatched in engagement, viewership, and brand impact. Its nearly two-month duration provides brands with a sustained window to connect with consumers,” he said. 

He added, “IPL’s multi-platform reach—spanning TV, OTT, social media, and influencer-led content—ensures maximum visibility. The blend of entertainment and sports also gives advertisers the freedom to experiment with creative storytelling and viral campaigns in ways that other sporting events don’t always allow.”