WTC 2025 Final sees 73% drop in unique brands advertising on TV: Report

The volume of television advertising during the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final decreased to below one-third of 2021 levels, while the profile of advertisers shifted toward technology and e-commerce companies, according to a report issued by TAM Sports.

The report, which analyses commercial advertising during live match broadcasts, shows the ad volume for the 2025 final was recorded at an index of 26.6, compared to a baseline of 100 in 2021 and 107 in 2023.

Data indicates a reduction in the number of advertisers and brands between the 2023 and 2025 finals. The count of advertisers fell from 49 to 14, a 71.4% decrease. The number of unique brands advertised dropped from 70 to 14, an 80% decrease.

The composition of advertiser categories also changed. In 2023, the top categories by advertising share included perfumes/deodorants and cars, with Maruti Suzuki India and Hero Motocorp listed as leading advertisers. In 2025, the leading category was e-commerce/media/social media, accounting for 22.8% of ad share. Star India (Jio Hotstar) and Glaxo Smithkline were the top two advertisers by volume.

A separate TAM Sports analysis on advertising during the 2020 IPL-14 tournament showed that the sports genre's share of television advertising increased during the event.

The duration of advertising on sports channels rose from approximately 371 hours in the pre-tournament period to 1,177 hours during the tournament. This resulted in the sports genre's share of total advertising volume increasing from 0.72% to 2.00%. During the same period, genres such as news and general entertainment continued to hold the largest shares of total advertising time.