Mumbai: TAM Sports has released its IPL 2026 Advertising Report covering the first 48 matches across Linear TV and Connected TV (CTV), revealing a return to growth on Linear Television alongside a significantly broader and more diverse advertiser ecosystem on CTV.
IPL Season 19 signals a meaningful recovery on Linear Television, with indexed ad volumes registering a 2% uptick after 48 matches compared to the equivalent period in IPL 18. The finding underscores the enduring relevance of linear TV as a mass reach vehicle for advertisers, even as digital platforms continue to scale.
The advertising category mix differs notably between the two platforms, reflecting the distinct audience profiles each attracts. On CTV, Ecom-Other Services led with a 10% share, followed by Cars at 6%, Cellular Phones and Smart Phones at 5%, and Paints and Air Conditioners at 4% each — indicating a skew toward technology, automotive, and home improvement categories among CTV audiences.
On Linear TV, Mouth Fresheners dominated with a 14% share, followed by Ecom-Other Services at 13%, Two Wheelers at 6%, and Corporate-Financial Institute and Energy Drink at 5% each — reflecting the broader, mass-market nature of linear TV audiences.
Ecom-Other Services — a category that includes platforms such as Google, OpenAI, and Matrimony.com — was the only category to feature in the Top 5 on both CTV and Linear TV, underscoring the cross-platform dominance of digital commerce brands in IPL 2026 advertising.
Among advertisers, Google emerged as the standout performer of IPL 2026 — topping both CTV at 14% share and Linear TV at 11% share after 48 matches. Google, Havells India, and Reliance Consumer Products were the three advertisers common to the Top 5 on both platforms, reflecting a strong cross-platform advertising strategy from India’s leading consumer brands.
On CTV, the Top 5 advertisers also included Grasim Industries and Amazon Online India. On Linear TV, Vishnu Packaging and K P Pan Foods completed the Top 5.
One of the most significant findings of the report is the greater breadth and diversity of advertising participation on CTV compared to Linear TV. During the first 48 matches, over 35 categories and 30 advertisers were common across both platforms — indicating strong overlap in advertising presence. However, CTV recorded more than 25 exclusive categories and over 40 exclusive advertisers, compared to 15+ exclusive categories and 25+ exclusive advertisers on Linear TV.
This highlights CTV’s growing appeal to a broader range of brands — particularly in categories such as Credit Cards, Astrologers, Fast Food Outlets, Corporate-FMCG, and Hotels — which advertised exclusively on the platform. Top exclusive CTV advertisers included Tata Motors, Renault India, Voltas Limited, Astrotalk Services, and Jubilant Foodworks.
On Linear TV, exclusive categories included Chocolates, Branded Jewellery, Perfumes and Deodorant, Mortgage Loans, and Artificial Sweeteners — with K P Pan Foods, OpenAI, Skoda Auto, Cadburys India, and TVS Motor Company among the top exclusive advertisers on the platform.
The five categories common to both CTV and Linear TV were Ecom-Other Services, Mouth Fresheners, Paints, Cars, and Corporate-Financial Institute. The top five common advertisers across both platforms were Google, Reliance Consumer Products, Havells India, Vishnu Packaging, and AMFI (Association of Mutual Funds in India).
The report paints a picture of an IPL advertising ecosystem that is evolving rapidly — with CTV emerging as a more diverse and digitally oriented platform, while Linear TV continues to command mass reach and relevance for India’s largest consumer brands
