‘YouTube is where fans stay connected before, after and in between cricket matches’

As India gears up for another electrifying season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket fandom is evolving beyond the boundaries of stadiums and television screens. In this digital-first era, YouTube has emerged as the go-to destination for cricket content, engaging audiences beyond live matches and providing advertisers with unique opportunities to connect with their target consumers.

Shubha Pai, Head of YouTube Sales and Solutions at Google India, sheds light on this growing phenomenon, discussing the intersection of cricket, digital consumption, and advertising. “Cricket in India is not just a sport; it’s culture, it’s community,” she says, recalling a personal anecdote from 1984 when her father suffered severe electrical burns while attempting to fix a power outage just to watch a World Cup match on television. “Even today, if you ask him, he will tell you he doesn’t regret it. That is what cricket means to people in this country.”

In the last twelve months alone, cricket-related content on YouTube has garnered over 50 billion views, a staggering figure that underscores the platform’s centrality to modern cricket consumption. During IPL 2024, fans spent 20 percent more time engaging with non-live content, marking a shift from traditional live viewing to on-demand content consumption. “YouTube is where fans stay connected to the game, not just during live matches, but before, after, and in between,” Pai explains.

This shift in viewing habits is not just a trend but a fundamental transformation. According to a Smith Grieger study, 95 percent of online sports fan aged 14 to 44 in India consume content about their favourite sport or players on YouTube at least a week. Of these, 67 percent watch cricket content, making YouTube the most widely used digital platform for sports engagement.

While digital platforms are witnessing an unprecedented surge in engagement, the landscape of cricket advertising is also undergoing significant disruption. The traditional live broadcast model, which has long been the gold standard for sports advertising, is becoming increasingly cluttered. While it is an unparalleled opportunity to reach a vast audience, the sheer volume of brands vying for attention makes it difficult to stand out. “Do you know how many brands advertised on IPL last year?” Pai asks. “Nearly 1,400. And yet, if I were to ask you to recall them, you’d probably remember only three to five.”

This intense battle for consumer attention is further compounded by the well-documented phenomenon of second-screen behaviour. “Ninety percent of cricket fans are active on another screen while watching live matches,” Pai notes, adding that the number jumps to 93 percent for Gen Z viewers, who typically juggle three activities—checking stats, scrolling their social feeds, and ordering food. “Imagine trying to tell your brand’s story in a fleeting moment while viewers are doing all this. It makes traditional advertising much tougher.”

To navigate this challenge, brands are increasingly turning to YouTube’s AI-powered advertising solutions, which allow them to engage with fans more effectively. “Between long-form videos, Shorts, and connected TV, YouTube offers advertisers a variety of formats to meet different marketing objectives,” Pai explains. “And AI underpins it all.”

She cites examples of AI-driven products such as Target Frequency, which ensures optimal ad exposure, and Video View Campaigns, which guarantee a set number of views across different YouTube formats. Demand Gen, another AI-powered solution, extends YouTube’s reach to surfaces like Google Discover and Gmail, while QR Code ads on Connected TV (CTV) make it easier for consumers to take immediate action. “For years, we’ve watched ads on linear TV with no ability to act on them. Now, you can just scan a QR code and engage instantly,” she says.

This AI-led approach has already shown results for brands like Swiggy, which leveraged YouTube’s audience insights during IPL 2023. “They realized that 90 percent of audiences were second-screening and that there was a huge overlap between their core consumer base—food delivery users—and cricket viewers. That’s why they chose YouTube to drive engagement,” Pai points out.

The explosion of cricket content on YouTube isn’t limited to official match highlights or expert analysis. Over the years, the platform has given rise to a thriving cricket content creator ecosystem. “There’s an entire universe of cricket content on YouTube, from ball-by-ball analysis to memes, reaction videos, and deep dives into strategy,” Pai says. Popular creators like Breakfast with Champions, Harsha Bhogle, and Two Sloggers have built dedicated followings, drawing fans before, during, and after matches.

Beyond content diversity, YouTube’s reach is expanding to newer demographics. “Out of the 500 million cricket fans in India, 30 percent are women, and 60 percent are from rural areas,” Pai says, citing research from Kantar. “Cricket is no longer just an urban, male-dominated sport. YouTube ensures there’s something for everyone, in every language and every region.”

Despite murmurs of “cricket fatigue” due to the relentless scheduling of matches, Pai believes that YouTube’s engagement metrics tell a different story. “For a true cricket fan, the match doesn’t end with the final ball. They go to YouTube to watch replays, check stats, and see what others are saying. They don’t go to bed until they’ve done at least an hour of additional engagement,” she says with a smile.

With IPL 2025 expected to break records in terms of sponsorship and ad revenue—last year, the tournament’s brand value was estimated at over $10 billion —YouTube is positioning itself as the ultimate platform for advertisers looking to capture consumer attention. “The IPL is not just a sporting event; it’s a cultural moment. Whether you’re launching a new campaign, building brand recall, or driving action, YouTube’s AI-powered solutions can help you reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message,” Pai asserts.