Celebrity endorsements continued to play a dominant role in advertising during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, although brands leaned less on celebrities for Connected TV (CTV) campaigns than for traditional linear television, reflecting changing advertising approaches across viewing platforms, according to a TAM Sports report analysing all live IPL 19 matches.
The report revealed that celebrity-endorsed commercials contributed 61% of total advertising volumes on Linear TV, compared with 49% on Connected TV, marking a 24% lower share of celebrity-driven advertising on CTV than on traditional television. As a result, non-celeb advertisements accounted for 39% of ad volumes on Linear TV, while they dominated Connected TV with a 51% share.
The findings are based on commercial advertising volumes measured in “secondages” across all live IPL 19 matches aired on five Star Network feeds and 12 JioHotstar feeds. The study excludes pre-, mid- and post-match programming, broadcaster promotions, franchise promotions, film trailers, fillers, promos and social advertisements.
The report suggests that although celebrity endorsements remain an influential marketing strategy during India’s biggest sporting event, advertisers are increasingly customising campaigns to align with audience behaviour across conventional television and internet-enabled TV platforms.
Film stars dominate Linear TV, sports personalities lead CTV
One of the clearest distinctions between the two platforms was the type of celebrities featured in advertisements.
On Linear TV, film actors accounted for the largest share of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes at 55%, followed by film actresses (22%) and sports personalities (22%). TV actors contributed just 1%.
Connected TV, however, was led by sports personalities, who represented 45% of celebrity-endorsed advertising volumes, ahead of film actors (35%) and film actresses (18%), while TV actors made up 2%.
The report further noted that film stars together contributed more than 75% of celebrity-endorsed advertising volumes on Linear TV, reinforcing Bollywood’s continued dominance on traditional television. On Connected TV, by comparison, film personalities accounted for just over half of celebrity-led advertising, indicating a more even distribution between cinema and sports celebrities.
The trend indicates that advertisers view Connected TV audiences differently, with sports personalities commanding stronger influence among digital viewers than among traditional television audiences.
Linear TV featured more celebrities
Traditional television also showcased a wider range of celebrity endorsers than Connected TV.
According to TAM Sports, 75 celebrities appeared in advertisements on Linear TV compared with 71 on Connected TV, making the celebrity count approximately 6% higher on broadcast television.
Likewise, the number of sports personalities featured in advertisements was higher on Linear TV. The report identified 35 sports celebrities on Linear TV against 32 on Connected TV, reflecting a 9% difference.
The findings suggest that advertisers continue to deploy a broader celebrity roster on traditional television despite the steady rise in digital viewership.
Shah Rukh Khan leads Linear TV; Ishaan Khattar tops Connected TV
Among all celebrities featured in advertisements, Shah Rukh Khan emerged as the leading face on Linear TV, contributing 10% of celebrity-endorsed advertising volumes.
He was followed by:
Ishaan Khattar – 9%
Ajay Devgn – 7%
Amyra Dastur – 7%
Tiger Shroff – 7%
On Connected TV, Ishaan Khattar topped the rankings with a 9% share, tied with Sara Arjun, followed by:
Ranveer Singh – 7%
Shubman Gill – 6%
Prakash Padukone – 4%
The report highlighted that Ishaan Khattar endorsed brands for two different advertisers across both Linear TV and Connected TV, making him one of the few celebrities to maintain a strong presence across both platforms.
Unlike Linear TV, where the top five celebrities were entirely film personalities, Connected TV’s top rankings also included sports stars, underscoring the platform’s more diversified endorsement mix.
Rohit Sharma common sports icon across both platforms
Among sports personalities, Rohit Sharma was the only athlete to feature prominently across both Linear TV and Connected TV.
On Linear TV, Rohit Sharma led sports celebrity endorsements with a 22.1% share, followed by:
Hardik Pandya – 16.0%
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 5.1%
Abhishek Sharma – 5.1%
Virat Kohli – 5.0%
On Connected TV, the rankings were noticeably different:
Shubman Gill – 12.4%
Prakash Padukone – 8.7%
Rohit Sharma – 7.9%
Irfan Pathan – 7.8%
Jemimah Rodrigues – 7.7%
The report pointed out that Rohit Sharma was the only sports personality to appear in the top five lists across both viewing platforms.
Category preferences vary across platforms
The TAM Sports study also identified notable differences in the sectors investing in celebrity endorsements across Linear TV and Connected TV.
On Linear TV, the top five celebrity-endorsed categories were:
Mouth Freshener
Ecom–Other Services
Paints
Corporate–Financial Institute
Air Conditioners
On Connected TV, the leading categories were:
Ecom–Other Services
Paints
Credit Cards
Air Conditioners
Biscuits
The report observed that Mouth Freshener ranked as the leading category on Linear TV, whereas Ecom–Other Services emerged as the top category on Connected TV.
While both platforms shared categories such as Paints and Air Conditioners, the prominence of digital-first sectors like E-commerce and Credit Cards on CTV indicates advertisers are aligning campaigns with digitally engaged audiences.
Overall, the report identified more than 25 categories on Linear TV and over 30 categories on Connected TV, highlighting a broader category mix on the digital platform.
Google dominates CTV; Vishnu Packaging leads Linear TV
Advertiser rankings also differed across the two platforms.
On Linear TV, the top five advertisers using celebrity endorsements were:
Vishnu Packaging
Google
Havells India
Grasim Industries
Reliance Consumer Products
On Connected TV, the leading advertisers were:
Google
Grasim Industries
National Payments Corporation of India
Britannia Industries
Havells India
TAM Sports noted that Google and Grasim Industries were the only advertisers common to both top-five lists, while Vishnu Packaging emerged as the leading advertiser on Linear TV and Google ranked first on Connected TV.
Three categories common across platforms
The report also found that three categories and two advertisers were common across both Linear TV and Connected TV during IPL 19, despite the differing platform strategies.
This suggests that while brands are adapting creative approaches for digital audiences, several major sectors continue to maintain an integrated advertising presence across both television ecosystems.
Connected TV strategies becoming more distinct
The findings indicate that advertisers are no longer replicating identical celebrity strategies across television platforms.
Linear TV continues to favour Bollywood-led campaigns, using the mass appeal of film stars to maximise reach among conventional television audiences.
Connected TV, meanwhile, is seeing greater prominence of sports personalities alongside film celebrities, reflecting its younger, digitally engaged audience and the increasing importance of sports-led brand communication.
The lower reliance on celebrity advertising on CTV also suggests that advertisers are experimenting with a wider range of creative formats and non-celebrity campaigns on streaming platforms, where audience targeting and personalised advertising provide greater flexibility than traditional television.
Despite these platform-specific differences, celebrity endorsements remain a key pillar of IPL advertising, accounting for nearly half of all advertising volumes even on Connected TV, reinforcing the enduring commercial value of star power during India’s biggest sporting event.
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