Connected TV Could Reshape Next IPL Media Rights

Connected TV (CTV) is emerging as a major advertising and viewing screen in India, and industry voices say it could push the BCCI to restructure how it sells the next cycle of IPL media rights, potentially creating more entry points for bidders beyond the handful of players who can afford the current mega-packages. India’s CTV audience grew 60% year-on-year, from 129.2 million viewers in 2025 to 206.9 million in 2026, according to data cited in the discussion published September 28, 2026.

JioStar reported that CTV was the fastest-growing platform during IPL 2026, posting 26% year-on-year reach growth and 22% growth in consumption, as the tournament’s overall reach crossed 1.2 billion. The current IPL rights cycle, running 2023 to 2027, was sold for Rs 48,390 crore, nearly three times the Rs 16,347.5 crore paid for the 2018-22 cycle, when Disney Star won television rights for Rs 23,575 crore and Viacom18 secured digital rights for Rs 20,500 crore in a split auction.

Why Could Connected TV Change How IPL Rights Are Sold?

A senior broadcaster quoted in the discussion said the next IPL auction “will need to create more points of entry for bidders,” reflecting a view that splitting CTV out as its own biddable inventory, rather than bundling it into broad TV or digital packages, could let more advertisers and platforms participate without needing to win the entire national rights package. Sports marketing expert Arun Rao said CTV “is offering a unique audience,” with CPMs in the Rs 650-800 range, a pricing signal that underlines how advertisers already value CTV inventory differently from linear television or mobile-first digital viewing.

What Does This Mean for Indian Advertisers and Broadcasters?

Not everyone agrees CTV is ready to be carved out as a standalone rights category. Indranil Das Blah, founder of AMP Sports, cautioned that “I don’t think we’ve arrived at a stage where CTV can be sold separately,” suggesting the format may still need to mature as a data and measurement product before BCCI or broadcasters can confidently price it apart from bundled TV-digital deals. For marketers, the immediate takeaway is that CTV inventory around India’s biggest sporting property is growing fast enough that ignoring it in media plans is no longer an option, regardless of how the next rights auction is eventually structured.

Industry Reaction and Expert Commentary

Media Partners Asia has projected the 2028-32 domestic IPL rights cycle could be worth roughly $5.4 billion, up from the current cycle’s Rs 48,390 crore, implying BCCI and its broadcast partners have strong incentive to explore new inventory structures, including CTV-specific packages, that could expand the pool of eligible bidders and support that kind of valuation growth. The debate mirrors a broader shift in Indian media buying, where advertisers increasingly want screen-specific data rather than one blended TV-plus-digital reach number.

What Happens Next?

BCCI has not indicated when it will formally begin structuring the next IPL media rights tender, expected ahead of the 2028-32 cycle. Industry attention will focus on whether the board experiments with CTV-specific or more granular regional and platform-based packages, as suggested by the senior broadcaster quoted in the discussion, or sticks with the broad TV-and-digital bundle structure used in the last two auctions. Advertisers, meanwhile, are unlikely to wait for that decision: media planners are already asking for CTV-specific reach and CPM data from broadcasters ahead of IPL 2027, regardless of how rights eventually get packaged for the following cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much has India’s connected TV audience grown?

India’s connected TV audience grew 60% year-on-year, from 129.2 million viewers in 2025 to 206.9 million in 2026, with JioStar reporting CTV as the fastest-growing platform during IPL 2026.

How much is the current IPL media rights cycle worth?

The current IPL rights cycle for 2023-27 was sold for Rs 48,390 crore, with Disney Star holding television rights (Rs 23,575 crore) and Viacom18 holding digital rights (Rs 20,500 crore) from the 2022 auction.

Will the next IPL auction sell connected TV rights separately?

It is not yet decided. A senior broadcaster suggested the next auction may need more entry points for bidders, but AMP Sports founder Indranil Das Blah said the industry hasn’t reached a stage where CTV can confidently be sold as a standalone category.