'Mouth Fresheners' on TV, Google on Streaming: IPL 2026's Celebrity Ad Divide, Finds TAM Sports

The Indian Premier League is not just a battle between cricket teams. It is also one of the country's biggest advertising arenas, where brands spend heavily to capture consumer attention through celebrity endorsements. But new data suggests that advertisers are beginning to play by different rules depending on where viewers are watching.

According to a report by TAM Sports, celebrity-endorsed advertising remained dominant on traditional television during IPL 2026, accounting for 61% of ad volumes. On Connected TV (CTV), however, celebrity-backed advertising made up only 49% of ad volumes, marking a 24% drop in share compared to linear television.

The finding points to a subtle but important shift in advertiser behaviour. While brands continue to rely heavily on celebrities to reach television audiences, they appear more willing to experiment with non-celebrity advertising on streaming platforms.

The report also highlights a stark difference in the kinds of celebrities driving campaigns across the two mediums.

On linear television, Bollywood remained the undisputed kingmaker. Film actors accounted for 55% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes, while film actresses and sports personalities followed behind. Overall, film stars contributed more than three-fourths of celebrity advertising exposure on TV.

Connected TV, however, presented a different picture. Sports personalities emerged as the largest celebrity group, contributing 45% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes, ahead of film actors at 35%.

In effect, advertisers seem to believe that streaming audiences watching cricket are more likely to respond to athletes than movie stars.

The list of top endorsers reinforces this divide.

Traditional television was dominated by film celebrities, with Shah Rukh Khan leading the rankings, followed by Ishaan Khatter, Ajay Devgn, Amyra Dastur and Tiger Shroff.

Connected TV's top celebrity list was more varied, featuring Ishaan Khatter, Sara Arjun, Ranveer Singh, cricketer Shubman Gill and badminton legend Prakash Padukone.

Among sports celebrities, Rohit Sharma was the only athlete to feature prominently across both television and streaming platforms, highlighting his broad advertiser appeal.

One of the report's most surprising revelations concerns the categories spending behind these celebrity campaigns.

On television, the leading celebrity-endorsed category during IPL 2026 was Mouth Fresheners. In a media environment increasingly dominated by technology and digital services, the category outperformed sectors such as paints, financial institutions and air-conditioners in celebrity-backed advertising. Vishnu Packaging emerged as the top advertiser on linear television.

Streaming audiences, meanwhile, attracted a far more digital mix of advertisers. E-commerce services became the leading celebrity-endorsed category on Connected TV, while Google emerged as the top advertiser. Categories such as credit cards also featured prominently, reflecting the platform's urban and digitally engaged audience profile.

The study also found that television still hosted slightly more celebrity activity overall. A total of 75 celebrities appeared in advertising on linear TV compared with 71 on Connected TV. Sports celebrity appearances were similarly higher on television.

The findings underscore how rapidly India's advertising ecosystem is evolving. IPL remains one of the few media properties capable of delivering mass reach across both television and digital platforms, but the audiences consuming the tournament are increasingly behaving differently depending on the screen.

For brands, that means celebrity endorsements are no longer a uniform strategy. A Bollywood superstar may still command attention on television, but on streaming platforms, advertisers are increasingly turning to athletes and digital-first categories to drive engagement.

And amid all the changes reshaping India's media landscape, one result stands out: during the country's biggest cricket tournament, a humble mouth freshener category managed to outshine tech giants and fintech brands on television.