Sports
News18 India launches Stump Mic cricket talk show
Light, fan-first chat and sharp takes air daily through T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI: With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup warming up the cricketing calendar, News18 India is stepping up to the crease with Stump Mic, a new talk show that swaps heavy analysis for breezy, fan-first conversation. The programme went on air on 7 February and will run through the tournament.
Hosted by Anand Narasimhan, Stump Mic promises the sort of candid chatter usually heard only on the field, blending sharp opinions, match insights and offbeat stories from the cricketing circuit. The tone is light, the takes are frank, and the focus stays firmly on what fans want to hear.
The panel brings together familiar faces from across the cricketing world, including former India batter and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, ex-India fast bowler S Sreesanth, Indian pacer Umesh Yadav, former England spinner Monty Panesar and social media voice Yuvraj Dua. Adding a strong on-ground flavour, Vimal Kumar, better known as Vimalwa, joins the show with correspondents to deliver live updates, match-day atmosphere and fan reactions.
The show airs in two editions that bookend the day’s play. A pre-match segment from 3:50 pm to 4:50 pm sets the scene, while the post-match edition from 11 pm to midnight wraps up the action with analysis, reactions and standout moments.
True to its name, Stump Mic draws inspiration from the spontaneous exchanges picked up during live matches, mixing expert insight with easy banter and fan-centric moments. The show airs on India match days only on News18 India.
Sports
IPL 2026 shows widening gap between CTV and TV advertising trends
Ecom leads CTV with 39 per cent, 30 plus shared categories, distinct advertiser mix.
MUMBAI: If cricket is the same on every screen, advertising clearly isn’t. A new analysis by TAM Sports reveals a widening gap between Connected TV (CTV) and linear television advertising during IPL 2026, with brands and categories playing very different innings across platforms. On CTV, digital-first categories dominated. E-commerce media, entertainment and social media led with a commanding 39 per cent share, followed by e-commerce services at 11 per cent. Smartphones and cars each accounted for 6 per cent, while air conditioners contributed 4 per cent highlighting a strong tilt towards tech-led and high-consideration categories.
Linear TV, in contrast, leaned heavily into mass-market staples. Mouth fresheners topped the chart with 14 per cent, closely followed by e-commerce services at 13 per cent. Financial institutions held a 6 per cent share, while paints and e-commerce wallets each stood at 5 per cent, reflecting a more traditional advertising mix.
The divergence extends to advertisers as well. On CTV, Star India (JioHotstar) led with a dominant 39 per cent share, followed by Google at 17 per cent. Havells India, Renault India and Reliance Consumer Products rounded out the top five with smaller shares. Linear TV saw Google in the lead at 12 per cent, with Reliance Consumer Products at 10 per cent, followed by Vishnu Packaging and Havells India at 6 per cent each, and K P Pan Foods at 5 per cent.
Despite these differences, there is some overlap. The study identified 30 plus common categories and 25 plus common advertisers across both platforms, based on 22 matches analysed. Shared categories included e-commerce media, e-commerce services, mouth fresheners, paints and cars, while common advertisers featured Star India (JioHotstar), Google and Reliance Consumer Products.
Yet, exclusivity tells the sharper story. CTV saw over 20 exclusive categories and 30 plus unique advertisers, including smartphones, credit cards, fast food outlets and hotels, with brands such as Renault India, Tata Motors and Voltas featuring prominently. Linear TV, meanwhile, had 15 plus exclusive categories and 20 plus advertisers, including chocolates, jewellery, perfumes and mortgage loans, with names like Cadbury India, Skoda Auto and Amul in the mix.
The findings point to a structural shift in how advertisers are approaching big-ticket sporting events. While linear TV continues to deliver scale and familiarity, CTV is emerging as a playground for digital-native categories and more targeted brand storytelling.
In the IPL’s advertising game, it seems the format may be the same but the strategy is anything but uniform.
