IPL 2025: Are brands ready to hit it out of the park with CTV?

As the excitement builds for IPL 2025, brands are doubling down on Connected TV (CTV) as a key advertising channel. With millions of viewers streaming matches on large screens, brands are expected to push the boundaries of digital advertising with hyper-personalised ad experiences, interactive formats, and multi-screen campaigns.

Personalised ads, tailored as per viewer demographics and preferences, allow for more relevant messaging that resonates with specific audience segments. Interactive ad formats are taking this engagement further, with QR codes enabling instant access to product pages. At the same time, polls and clickable overlays provide an opportunity for direct interaction during strategic breaks.

As many viewers simultaneously use mobile devices while watching the IPL matches, brands are rolling out multi-screen campaigns that synchronise messaging across devices, ensuring a cohesive and impactful experience. Dynamic creative optimisation takes it a step further, adjusting ad content based on the match context, team performance, and real-time events, ensuring the messaging is always in tune with the action unfolding on-screen.

One of the standout trends for IPL 2025 is WhatsApp integration, allowing viewers to engage directly with brands via a familiar and highly used platform. it offers a powerful way for brands to foster deeper connections and drive instant action. In addition to in-stream ads, brands can secure premium CTV placements such as home screen impact units and IPL specific sponsorships, ensuring they remain top-of-the-mind throughout the tournament.

With multiple touchpoints for engagement, brands can create a seamless experience that goes much beyond traditional advertising formats.

According to JioStar, IPL has been a major driver of CTV adoption, making it a high-impact platform for brands. “Advertisers are leveraging CTV’s immersive experience and digital precision to target premium audiences with measurable and scalable campaigns. Key strategies include first-party targeting, real-time campaign optimisation, and engaging high-intent consumers,” a JioStar spokesperson said.

This shift in advertising strategy aligns with broader changes in consumer behaviour. “Viewing habits are shifting towards on-demand, ad-light experiences, with a growing preference for binge-watching. As CTV continues to bridge the gap between traditional TV and digital platforms, it presents brands with fresh ways to engage audiences,” highlights Robin Thomas, Lead - Strategic Partnerships & Growth, White Rivers Media.

Building on this, Thomas points to the significant advantage CTV offers for IPL 2025 campaigns. “The ability to deliver top-tier, big-screen content with the interactive edge of digital advertising makes CTV a standout choice for IPL 2025 campaigns.”

Categories that can achieve a strong ROI on CTV during IPL 2025 include: BFSI, Consumer Durables, Automobiles, FMCG, E-commerce, Food & Beverages and Handsets. To leverage this high-impact property best on CTV, brands must enhance campaign efficiency with precise audience targeting, interactive ad formats, reduced wasted impressions, and programmatic optimisation. Such strategies are essential to maximise ROI and drive impactful engagement throughout the tournament.

As consumer preferences shift, affluent audiences are increasingly embracing CTV for immersive viewing experiences, leading to greater engagement. A Google spokesperson notes that over 50% of YouTube CTV watch time is on content that is 21 minutes or longer. This trend underscores the growing demand for long-form, high-quality content that keeps audiences engaged. Furthermore, YouTube Shorts is bringing short-form content to the big screen, with views on TV screens more than doubling in the past year.

A recent example of the power of CTV comes from Kia’s campaign, which leveraged CTV QR codes to drive an OTP-verified conversion rate increase of 3.6x compared to normal. “CTV QR codes are an emerging tool that go beyond branding to drive consumer action. As CTV adoption accelerates, we remain focused on refining and expanding these experiences, ensuring a more engaging and personalised ecosystem for viewers, creators, and advertisers alike,” the Google spokesperson explained.

Wakefit, a digital-first brand, strives to create resonance with consumers at multiple touch points. Operating in a high-involvement, low-frequency category like sleep and home solutions, the brand maintains an ‘always-on’ digital media approach to create consistent engagement. “Within this framework, Connected TV serves as a highimpact channel that we utilise strategically,” says Kunal Dubey, CMO, Wakefit.

He further explains, “During major events such as the IPL or World Cup, when digital consumption surges, we thoughtfully incorporate CTV into our media mix, when we deem fit. We also focus on delivering propositions with compelling creative content, that are intended to help us break away from the clutter.”

Gopa Menon, Chief Growth Officer, Successive Digital lists the categories that typically see strong ROI on CTV during IPL: Food delivery and quick-service restaurants that capitalise on the impulse of purchasing behaviour during matches. Automotive brands with high-quality visual storytelling capabilities to reach premium audiences.

Financial services highlighting digital payment solutions for tech-savvy audiences. E-commerce platforms that leverage direct response capabilities through clickable ads that drive immediate transactions. Gaming and fantasy sports that draw natural synergy with cricket enthusiasts looking for interactive experiences, he further lists.

“Their success stems from several factors, including precise audience targeting capabilities on CTV platforms, higher attention metrics compared to traditional TV, enhanced measurement solutions that connect viewership to actions, and the ability to deliver contextualised creative messaging that resonates with the cricket viewing experience,” Menon explains. These factors combine to make CTV an incredibly powerful tool for brands looking to make an impact during IPL 2025.

Building on this, Nikhil Kumar, Chief Growth Officer, mediasmart by Affle, emphasises that with IPL audiences becoming more nuanced OTT viewers, it’s time for brands to approach advertising on CTV with greater sophistication. He explains that brands must start using CTV as a performance channel — and not just a branding platform. This approach ensures that brands don’t just gain visibility, but also measurable results.

Sharing insights into how brands are using CTV, he says that they are increasingly focussing on household-level targeting and multi-screen synchronisation. With a more integrated approach, brands can also extend this engagement beyond CTV, reinforcing the messaging across mobile, DOOH and even retail touchpoints, he explains. Beyond expanding the campaign’s reach, this helps create a more cohesive brand experience across various platforms.

Advertisers can customise their messaging based on audience demographics, region and viewing habits to ensure maximum impact. Second-screen integrations are excellent for driving actions across mobile, DOOH and instore. Securing premium ad placements on CTV home screens and IPL-related content hubs further ensures sustained brand recall.

“The key to maximising ROI is not just being present, but being strategic with data-driven insights, dynamic creative execution, and a multi-screen approach. IPL 2025 will be won by brands that move beyond passive visibility and create interactive, engaging experiences that convert high-intent viewers into consumers,” says Kumar.