IPL 2025: Ad rates surge across platforms, but CTV emerges as the star player

Post the merger of Viacom18 and Star India, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to be not only the first major event of the year for the broadcast industry but also a trendsetter in many ways. Floating ad rates for IPL 2025 have risen 10-15% for TV and digital (handheld devices), while Connected TV (CTV) prices have surged by 30%, according to sources.

Experts believe CTV’s sharp increase highlights its growing dominance and may push publishers to adopt CTV-specific pricing this season.

IPL 2025 spot rates surge with exclusive CTV pricing

The floating rate for TV spots (SD + HD) is Rs 18 lakh for a 10-second slot. On digital platforms, IPL mobile ads are priced at Rs 340 CPM, while Connected TV ads come at Rs 650 CPM. For advertisers aiming for a more targeted audience, Connected TV spot buys are available at Rs 7.5 lakh per 10 seconds.

“While there are no packages that are rolled out yet, the first rates that are being floated are 15% higher for TV and Digital (handheld device) but it's 30% higher on CTV,” said a media buyer.

“In earlier IPLs, no OTT platform had a CTV-specific rate; the rate was normally the same for mobile and CTV. Now with the increasing number of CTV and CTV audiences, we’ll have a CTV rate card for the first time, and now we’ll see more publishers with CTV-specific rates,” says Prabhvir Sahmey, Senior Director at Samsung Ads, the Indian market leader in the CTV space.

How CTV's rapid growth is driving the market shift

India’s CTV story has been a very fast moving one, with most experts agreeing that the number of CTV households in the country will be around 60 million, a much higher figure than the 40-45 million that had been predicted merely a couple of years ago.

The rise in ad rates can be attributed to various factors, one of which is JioStar's strategic advantage in digital IPL broadcasting.

“JioStar's exclusive rights and competitive subscription packages have drawn millions of viewers, creating a lucrative opportunity for brands to leverage a captive audience.

The Reliance-Disney deal has been instrumental in shifting eyeballs from traditional TV to CTV. JioStar’s focus on wider reach, regional programming, and personalized user experiences has positioned it as a dominant player in digital IPL broadcasting, driving up ad rates significantly,” said Sajid Shaikh, Group Account Manager - Media, SoCheers.

While this is one of the reasons behind the spike in CTV ad rates, most experts also say the cause is more market forces.

According to another adtech expert, this price surge could be because of many other factors in terms of rise in demand, rise in consumption avenues like CTV + mobile (the hallowed second screen market that marketers are increasingly eyeing), increased internet penetration, and other market forces.

Indeed, it is this new ubiquity of CTV that has led to perhaps the most significant change.

Another expert noted that this is just rate calibration to bring CTV closer to TV rates; and since IPL is a marquee property; they don't want to sell it cheaply. “650 may be the market rate; but it can go up or down depending on the team and match,” they said.

CTV ad spending in India is, in fact, set for a dramatic increase, with forecasts suggesting a five-fold rise by 2027, and an annual growth of 47%, potentially reaching $395 million by that year, compared to $86 million in 2023.

Is the ROI promising?

Experts point to the growing popularity of the IPL as the answer. The 2024 season saw a 10% increase in reach on the Star Sports Network and over 50% growth on JioCinema compared to 2023. This year, the numbers are expected to grow even further, potentially multiplying significantly.

“Brands are capitalizing on CTV’s ability to offer granular audience segmentation and real-time analytics. Advertisers see CTV as an essential complement to TV, allowing for a more comprehensive reach across households. There is a noticeable redistribution of ad spends, with brands allocating up to 40%-50% of their IPL marketing budgets to digital platforms, particularly CTV,” said Shaikh.

According to White Rivers Media’s Group Head - Media Tejas Maha, even with ad rates hitting highs this IPL season, CTV is not just a game-changer, it’s the new prime-time.

“Advertisers are bowled over by the platform’s ability to deliver personalised, interactive, and high-impact ads, especially in emerging Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets with booming smart TV adoption,” said Maha.

“The dual revenue stream strategy boosts inventory and allows sharper audience targeting, making it a win-win for brands,” Maha added.

“While social media remains front and center of ad strategies, brands are not shying away from what CTV brings to the table. Brands are swinging for ROI and leveraging multi-channel campaigns to connect with audiences across touchpoints. With these CTV ad rates, IPL is a high-stakes opportunity to engage cricket enthusiasts on their favourite screens,” he said.

Overall boom for cricket on digital

Digital overall has seen huge growth in terms of cricket viewing audience.

According to latest data released by Taboola Newsroom, data highlights cricket's surging digital momentum, with the sport generating 51 million impressions on the open web over the past 30 days, showcasing its dominance in online conversations. Traffic patterns show steady growth and significant spikes during key moments, highlighting cricket's ability to captivate audiences at pivotal times. Additionally, the term "Indian" in sports recorded 34 million page views over the last 90 days.

Virat Kohli emerged as a key driver of digital engagement, generating 11 million pageviews, followed closely by Rohit Sharma with 7.9 million pageviews. Together, content featuring these two icons resulted in around 9K additional traffic from over 800 published pieces, contributing to a 43.5% surge in engagement. These figures underscore the enduring appeal of individual player narratives in driving digital discussions.