Mumbai: Connected TV (CTV) emerged as a more diverse advertising platform than Linear TV during the FIFA World Cup 2026, attracting a wider mix of categories, advertisers and brands, according to a new report by TAM Sports.
The report, which analyses commercial advertising during all 104 live matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, found that while Linear TV continued to deliver significant advertising volumes, CTV offered greater advertiser diversity across the tournament. The analysis covers seven Linear TV channels and four CTV language feeds, excluding pre-, mid- and post-match programming, promos and broadcaster promotions.
According to the report, ad volumes on Linear TV were down 14% during the first 62 matches compared to FIFA World Cup 2022. However, advertiser participation strengthened as the tournament progressed, reducing the overall decline to just 4% by the end of the event. Average ad volume per channel per match during the second half of the tournament increased 53% over the first half, despite the significant India-USA time difference affecting match timings.
CTV attracted a broader advertiser base, recording 28 advertising categories, 31 advertisers and 44 brands, compared to 17 categories, 17 advertisers and 29 brands on Linear TV.
On Linear TV, advertising remained concentrated among a handful of sectors, with the top five categories contributing 82% of total ad volume. Liquor led with a 35% share, followed by cars at 34%, two-wheelers at 6%, retail jewellers at 4% and perfumes/deodorants at 3%. In contrast, CTV’s top five categories accounted for 51% of total advertising, led by cars (22%), aerated soft drinks (14%), retail jewellers (7%), liquor (5%) and luggage (4%).
The report also highlights differences in advertiser concentration. On Linear TV, the top five advertisers accounted for 82% of ad volumes, with United Spirits leading at 38%, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra at 31% and Hero MotoCorp at 6%. On CTV, the top five advertisers contributed 51% of ad volumes, with Mahindra & Mahindra leading at 20%, followed by United Spirits at 18%, Pernod Ricard India and Kalyan Jewellers India at 4% each, and Hero MotoCorp at 3%.
Among brands, Black Dog Soda emerged as the leading advertiser on Linear TV with a 23% share of ad volume, followed by Mahindra Thar Roxx (16%) and Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water (10%). On CTV, Black & White Non-Alcoholic Carbonated Beverages topped the list with a 14% share, ahead of 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.
The study further found that CTV offered substantially more exclusive advertising opportunities, featuring 12 exclusive categories and 15 exclusive advertisers, compared to just one exclusive category and one exclusive advertiser on Linear TV. Exclusive CTV categories included luggage, e-commerce education, laptops/notebooks, tyres, and vitamins and health supplements, while leading exclusive advertisers included Pernod Ricard India, Eduauraa Technologies, Lenovo, Ceat India and Naturell (India).
Overall, the TAM Sports report indicates that while Linear TV maintained strong advertising presence during the FIFA World Cup 2026, Connected TV continued to strengthen its position as a platform attracting a broader range of advertisers and categories, reflecting the evolving media consumption landscape around major sporting events.
