MAM
IPL 2024 expected to drive 50 per cent surge in influencer marketing collaborations: Qoruz Report
Mumbai: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) continues to captivate millions, its impact on Social Media engagements is evident. The IPL is not just a cricket tournament, it’s a social phenomenon that brings fans together, creating a buzz that goes beyond the cricket field. With the rise of digital platforms, the IPL has become a hotspot for influencers to connect with their audience, sharing moments of thrill, passion, and celebration. This trend is only growing, as highlighted in a recent industry report by Qoruz, which forecasts a 50 per cent increase in influencer collaborations during the IPL 2024 season.
The report examines the substantial growth seen last year, with influencer mentions during the IPL 2023 season showing a 45 per cent increase compared to 2022. This surge was led mainly by sports influencers, who made up 54 per cent of the influencer collaboration share, followed by those in entertainment, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. Such dynamic interactions underscore the opportunity for brands to partner with the right influencers, leveraging trending content to enhance brand visibility and connection with audiences.
Leading the influencer marketing initiatives during the 2023 IPL season, JioCinema achieved remarkable success with a staggering 75 million reach across 77 influencers, setting a new standard for social media engagement. Following closely, Dream11’s collaborations also garnered impressive results with 41 million reach from 15 influencers. Other brands such as Zee Music Company, Gugobet, JeetWin, KFC, Puma, Cricbuz, Adidas, Swiggy, Reliance Foundation, Zomoto, Myntra, and Ubon significantly contributed to the vibrant influencer marketing landscape, each leveraging unique strategies to enhance brand awareness and consumer engagement amidst the cricket excitement.
Qoruz the co-founder and CEO Praanesh Bhuvaneswar highlights the changing dynamics, “The IPL’s widespread appeal and the engaging content created around it offer a prime opportunity for brands to make significant inroads in terms of visibility and engagement. As social media influencers continue to play a crucial role in shaping the narrative around the IPL, brands that strategically partner with these personalities stand to gain immensely.”
“The ongoing IPL season transcends the boundaries of cricket, transforming into a cultural phenomenon that captures millions of hearts. It presents a golden chance for brands to engage in innovative storytelling and create authentic connections. Leveraging the right influencers during this vibrant period allows brands to amplify their voice, ensuring their message resonates with the audience’s enthusiasm for the game. With an evident surge in influencer collaborations this season, our focus is on crafting impactful narratives that echo with the audience’s passion, fostering a deeper connection with the cricket-loving community,” said Mothi Venkatesh, Head of Growth at Qoruz.
The report anticipates a significant rise in influencer marketing activity during the ongoing IPL 2024, with a 50 per cent increase in influencer shoutouts expected. This highlights the growing importance of partnering with the right influencers to connect with fans engaged in the season’s excitement. With the IPL uniting both die-hard cricket enthusiasts and casual viewers, brands have a unique opportunity to leverage influencer marketing and reach a massive audience during this highly anticipated event.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
