Sports
IPL 19 TV Ad Volumes Rise 10 per cent Despite Fewer Brands
Google storms top spot as e-com services and mouth fresheners lead charge in four-match clash with IPL 18.
MUMBAI: Google has bowled a perfect googly in the IPL 19 ad arena while the batsmen chased sixes on the field, the search giant has quietly smashed the biggest boundary of all, claiming 12.67 per cent of commercial airtime and leaving rivals gasping. Overall television ad volumes for the four live matches of IPL 19 hit an indexed 109.94 compared with IPL 18’s baseline of 100, a crisp 9.94 per cent jump that proves advertisers still see cricket’s biggest stage as the ultimate pitch. Yet the numbers tell a more nuanced tale. Categories slimmed from 47 to 40 (a 14.9 per cent drop) and advertisers shrank from 58 to 43 (down 25.9 per cent), suggesting a leaner, meaner battle where the survivors are spending smarter.
The new pecking order makes for fascinating reading. In IPL 19, Ecom-Other Services surged to the summit with 13.78 per cent share, nudging out perennial favourite Mouth Fresheners (13.57 per cent). Air Conditioners (5.94 per cent), Corporate-Financial Institutes (5.69 per cent) and Paints (5.23 per cent) rounded out the top five, elbowing aside last season’s heavy hitters. Back in IPL 18, Mouth Fresheners led at 10.73 per cent, followed by Ecom-Gaming (10.62 per cent), Cellular Phones-Smart Phones (7.83 per cent), Biscuits (7.66 per cent) and Cars (6.60 per cent).
On the advertiser leaderboard, Google’s 12.67 per cent dominance is unassailable. Reliance Consumer Products (7.28 per cent) took silver, Havells India (5.94 per cent) bronze, while Vishnu Packaging (5.56 per cent) and K P Pan Foods (4.80 per cent) completed the top five. Contrast that with IPL 18, where Parle Biscuits (7.66 per cent) topped the chart, followed by Vishnu Packaging (5.92 per cent), Apple Computer India (5.52 per cent), Reliance Consumer Products (5.31 per cent) and Billion Brains Garage Ventures (4.52 per cent).
Fresh blood has clearly refreshed the mix. Nine entirely new categories and a whopping 45 new brands entered the fray. Among the debutants making an instant splash: Chocolates, Laptops/Notebooks, Range of Hair Care, Corporate-Pharma/Healthcare and Footwear. Stand-out new brands include Google Search Engine, Google Gemini, Lloyd Designer AC, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate, Hero Splendor Plus Range and Joy Hello Sun Sunblock Anti-Tan Lotion, proof that even the most unexpected players are now eyeing cricket’s captive millions.
Conversely, 16 categories sat out IPL 19, including former stalwarts Ecom-Gaming, Cellular Phones-Smart Phones, Biscuits, Airlines and Fans. The message is clear: the ad economy is evolving faster than a T20 run-chase.
So while the on-field drama delivers its usual thrills, the commercial breaks are delivering something even more compelling, a masterclass in how to turn 22 yards of grass into serious brand territory. IPL 19 has shown that when the right mix of innovation and investment meets cricket fever, the ad scoreboard lights up in ways even the most optimistic analysts might not have predicted.
Sports
KKR rolls out pan-India OOH and multilingual branding for IPL 2026
Franchise blends local languages and large-scale outdoor to deepen fan connect
KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders have kicked off an expansive branding campaign for the Indian Premier League 2026 season, combining large-scale outdoor advertising with multilingual outreach to connect with fans across the country.
In their home base, the franchise has turned the city into a sea of purple and gold with a high-visibility outdoor push spanning over 75,000 square feet. The campaign includes 65 billboards across key locations, along with branded pillars, pole kiosks, LED boards and metro integrations, amplifying the team’s presence across Kolkata.
A standout element is a hand-painted mural on a four-storey building at Rashbehari Avenue near Bijan Setu. Inspired by ‘Prothom Bhalobasha KKR’, the artwork celebrates the idea of “first love” in Bengali and features Varun Chakravarthy, Ajinkya Rahane and Rinku Singh alongside the team’s rallying cry, “Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo”. The mural has quickly become a fan hotspot, drawing both footfall and social media buzz.
Taking the campaign beyond Kolkata, KKR has also introduced specially branded team buses in every away city. Each bus carries the franchise slogan translated into the local language of the host city, adding a regional touch to its national presence.
The initiative began in Mumbai ahead of KKR’s first away fixture, with the slogan adapted into Marathi. Over the season, the campaign will travel across seven cities and languages, including Tamil, Gujarati, Hindi, Telugu and Chhattisgarhi, aiming to strike a more personal chord with local audiences.
“This season, we wanted to go beyond visibility and create moments of genuine cultural connection for our fans,” said Knight Riders Sports chief marketing officer Binda Dey. She added that seeing the team’s slogan in regional languages is meant to feel like recognition rather than just advertising.
The campaign is part of a broader push by KKR to deepen fan engagement, alongside initiatives such as Knights Unplugged 3.0 and fan meet-ups across cities.
As the IPL caravan moves from city to city, KKR’s message is travelling with it, speaking not just in one voice, but in many.
