Who fills IPL’s real-money gaming gap in 2026?

New Delhi: When a category that once contributed nearly one-fifth of total IPL ad budgets steps back, the impact cannot be cosmetic. At its peak, real-money gaming brands were estimated to account for 18-20% of total IPL ad spends. Today, industry projections place IPL 2026 advertising revenues at roughly Rs 4,900 crore, broadly stable year on year. 

The topline has not collapsed. But the composition of that money, the way it is negotiated, and the pace at which it moves have clearly changed.

For marketers and media planners, the question is no longer whether IPL remains strong. It does. The sharper question is how the exit of RMG has altered the advertising architecture around India’s biggest sporting property.

The 18–20% gap and what replaced it

Manish Sharma, President, Arena Media, part of Havas Media Network India, said, “At the peak of spending, the real-money gaming would contribute around 18-20% of the total IPL ad budget. Honestly, the response has been quite positive with newer players and categories coming on board so the overall kitty of IPL ad spends has only increased.”

That 18-20% share was not marginal. It represented concentrated demand, aggressive bidding, and fast decision cycles.

Its withdrawal created a visible gap that the ecosystem had to fill. Rupali Chavan, SVP and Head of Business, Mudramax, framed the current moment as redistribution rather than expansion.

She said, “It’s a mix, but the dominant trend is strategic consolidation rather than a surge of fresh money. Many large advertisers are treating the IPL as the one property that can deliver scale quickly, so budgets that might otherwise have been spread across multiple platforms or periods are being concentrated here. At the same time, a handful of categories are stepping in more aggressively, which prevents the market from feeling hollow. The result is not a spending boom, but a reshaping of where brand money is being deployed.”

The data backs that view. Sharma noted that about 27-30% of incremental IPL spending appeared to be net new marketing budget, while 65-70% was reallocated from other channels such as OOH, other sports, or non-IPL digital. In effect, IPL is gaining share within marketing mixes, but not necessarily expanding total category spends.

Sharma also stated, “Tech-led or consumer tech, Aviation, BFSI are a few categories that have come up and increased their spends on cricket as compared to last year.”

Diversification instead of dominance

The replacement story, however, is not about a single vertical stepping in to dominate. It is about diversification.

Kushal Bhuva, Associate Vice-President, White Rivers Media, said, “The exit of real-money gaming brands is expected to create a measurable gap in IPL advertising, given the scale of their prior contribution to the ecosystem. What is likely to replace it is a combination of category expansion and rate appreciation.

Mouth fresheners have recently moved into the top advertiser position, biscuits have entered the top three, and FMCG-led categories and select e-commerce segments have increased their presence, though regulatory changes such as GST revisions are expected to make tobacco-linked and elaichi advertisers more cautious about sustaining the same spending momentum going forward.”

Bhuva further observed that some of the increased presence may not be entirely new money. He explained that a portion represented genuine net-new IPL investment, particularly from categories with limited IPL history, but a significant share appeared to be reallocation from other broadcast properties, digital channels, or non-IPL quarters.

He also noted that legacy brands like Parle expanded their share, though whether that reflected incremental budget or consolidated spends was difficult to determine without deeper breakdowns.

At the same time, he said technology platforms, AI-led services, and newer consumer categories were evaluating IPL participation more actively due to improved visibility and reduced clutter after gaming-heavy advertising blocks exited.

As per sources, OpenAI has entered a deal with JioStar to advertise heavily during IPL.

On the volume side, traditional sectors continue to anchor the tournament.

Shakir Jamil, Marketing Head, CREX, said, “According to TAM Sports’ IPL 17 Commercial Advertising Report, the Food & Beverage category alone accounted for approximately 34% of total ad volume, followed by Services at around 23%, and BFSI at roughly 9% of total advertising share.”

He added, “These categories, along with fintech, consumer tech, and D2C brands, are expected to play a larger role this season as the gaming segment exits. Rather than one single vertical replacing gaming, the likely recovery appears distributed across multiple sectors. This shift may result in a more diversified advertising base, reducing reliance on a single high-intensity category.”

Revenue stability and deal dynamics

Revenue stability remains the central metric. Jamil said, “From CREX’s standpoint, we do not anticipate a material negative impact on overall revenue. The gap created by the exit of RMG advertisers is expected to be absorbed by other categories over time.”

He also pointed to a change in deal behaviour. He said earlier, RMG brands often pursued direct and fast-moving partnerships, whereas now greater outbound effort is required to close deals. However, he did not foresee aggregate contraction.

Rate behaviour has been closely watched.

Chavan said, “Official rate cards have held steady, but negotiations are more nuanced this year. Instead of visible price cuts, deals are being structured with added value, flexible packaging, and broader integrations to make the economics work for buyers. Digital, being more performance-driven, has shown greater elasticity than television. In essence, prices haven’t collapsed, they’ve become more negotiable behind the scenes.”

Sharma reinforced that pricing remains driven by demand and supply fundamentals rather than the presence of a single category. He said IPL rates are a function of overall demand, and that instead of hard core negotiation, brands are getting additional value through newer formats and innovation on the platform.

Bhuva provided further clarity. He said IPL 2025 ad rates held firm, and in some formats, moved higher. TV spot pricing largely remained in line with the previous year, with no significant corrections across key inventory.

Connected Television rates saw a significant jump, reflecting the growing premium on connected TV audiences. He also noted that these were floated rates and negotiated outcomes would vary, but no broad discounts or concessions were being made to fill volume.

Inventory patterns and premium resilience

Inventory utilisation tells a more nuanced story. Chavan observed that demand remains strong overall, but it is no longer uniform across every match and format. High-profile games command intense interest, while quieter fixtures and secondary placements require more creative packaging.

She pointed out that digital inventory beyond the main live feed shows the most softness, and while nothing is going to waste, not everything is selling at peak heat.

Sharma confirmed that pockets of unsold or discounted inventory are visible mainly outside premium live-match prime windows. He highlighted mid-tier and non-prime matches, regional feeds and smaller-language streams, and non-live or long-tail digital placements as areas where discounts are more likely.

Yet premium inventory continues to clear. Bhuva said playoff slots such as Qualifier 1, Eliminator, and the Final sold out completely, with CTV inventory clearing first. League-stage fill rates remained high, and some early-season digital inventory tightened well ahead of playoffs.

He noted that JioStar’s consolidated rights position removed competitive bidding pressure from the broadcaster side, while a wider mix of new advertisers provided sufficient demand depth to absorb the gaming exit without visible softening.

The numbers suggest stability. The behaviour suggests recalibration. The exit of RMG has reduced category concentration, slowed the pace of aggressive deal-making, and shifted the burden of growth to a broader advertiser base.

IPL remains commercially robust, but its advertising engine now runs on diversified demand rather than high-intensity category dominance.