TV ad volumes fell 75% during the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025. India’s absence, waning advertiser interest in Test cricket, and IPL’s dominance drove the decline.
In a surprising turn of events, the number of TV ads dropped by about 75% during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025, even though the match had record-breaking viewership. ET Brand Equity reports that data from TAM AdEx shows that the June match between South Africa and Australia saw a 74.8% drop in ads compared to the 2023 final and similarly large drops compared to the 2021 final.
But the final set several viewership records in India, which is strange. Without India, it became Star Sports’ most-watched test, with 47 million viewers watching 2.94 billion minutes of TV and 225 million digital views through JioStar. This was almost as many views as the India-included 2023 version. These numbers show that people were still interested even though the national team didn’t show up.
Experts in the field say that India’s absence is the main reason for the sharp drop in ads. India’s involvement in 2023 made advertisers more sure that they could reach a lot of people, which led to more ad placements and a wider range of sponsoring brands. In 2025, there were only 13 categories, 14 advertisers, and 14 brands. This was a big drop from 2023, when there were 44 categories, 49 advertisers, and 70 brands.
With fewer sponsors, ad spending became more focused. In 2025, the top five advertisers used more than 65% of all airtime, up from just 28% in 2023. Star India (JioHotstar), GSK, Apple India, Aptech, and Billion Brains Garage Ventures were among the leaders. Auto, on the other hand, fell out of favour in favour of Services and Perfumes/Deodorants, which stayed at the top of the list.
“Long-format cricket demands sustained attention,” as Anil Solanki of Dentsu X put it. Advertisers became wary of committing to five-day matches because other formats offered better ROI. A senior media planner said, “India’s participation usually means more viewers which drives up ad rates.”
Changes in the industry as a whole made things worse. After IPL 2025’s high-intensity, ROI-driven ads, brands are choosing moment-driven formats like T20s, ODIs, and digital activations over longer formats that are hard to pay attention to.
Still, broadcasters are hopeful: Star and JioStar are still counting on the premium, engaged audience that Test cricket brings in. Sanjog Gupta, the CEO of JioStar Sports, said that cross-promotion during the IPL helped JioStar’s digital viewership.
In the end, the WTC Final 2025 was a paradox: more people watched it, but advertisers were less interested. This shows that consumer habits are changing, marketing strategies are changing, and Team India is having an undeniable impact on business value. For stakeholders, it’s a wake-up call about how much national participation is needed for long-format cricket to stay profitable.
