Connected TV (CTV) emerged as a more diversified advertising platform than traditional television during the FIFA World Cup 2026, attracting nearly twice as many advertisers and significantly more brands, according to a TAM Sports report analysing commercial advertising across all 104 live matches of the tournament.
The report found that CTV featured 31 advertisers, 44 brands and 28 product categories, compared with 17 advertisers, 29 brands and 17 categories on linear television, underscoring the growing role of digital platforms in sports advertising.
Despite challenging India–US match timings, which were separated by around 10 hours and 30 minutes, advertising volumes on linear television declined by only 4% compared with the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The first 62 matches recorded a steeper 14% drop in advertising volumes. However, stronger participation from advertisers during the knockout stages helped narrow the overall decline, with average advertising volumes per channel per match rising 53% in the second half of the tournament over the first half.
According to TAM Sports, the improvement reflected renewed marketer confidence as the tournament progressed despite unconventional viewing hours for Indian audiences.
While linear television continued to deliver scale, advertising remained heavily concentrated among a few sectors. Liquor accounted for 35% of total ad volumes, followed by automobiles at 34%. Two-wheelers, jewellery retail and perfumes and deodorants completed the top five categories, which together contributed 82% of total advertising volumes.
In contrast, CTV presented a more balanced advertiser mix. Cars led with a 22% share, followed by aerated soft drinks (14%), jewellery retail (7%), liquor (5%) and luggage (4%). Collectively, the top five categories accounted for 51% of ad volumes, indicating a broader spread of advertisers.
The report also highlighted lower advertiser concentration on CTV. On linear television, the top five advertisers contributed 82% of ad volumes, led by United Spirits (38%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (31%). Hero MotoCorp, Apple Computer India and Maruti Suzuki India completed the top five.
On CTV, Mahindra & Mahindra emerged as the largest advertiser with a 20% share, followed by United Spirits (18%), Pernod Ricard India (4%), Kalyan Jewellers India (4%) and Hero MotoCorp (3%). Together, the top five advertisers accounted for 51% of advertising volumes.
Brand rankings also reflected different platform strategies. On linear television, Black Dog Soda topped the list with a 23% share of ad volumes, followed by Mahindra Thar Roxx (16%), Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water (10%), Mahindra BE 6 (7%) and Mahindra XEV 9E (6%).
On CTV, Black & White Non-Alcoholic Carbonated Beverages led with a 14% share, followed by Mahindra Thar Roxx (8%), Mahindra XEV 9E (7%), Mahindra BE 6 (5%) and Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water (5%). Four of the top five brands were common across both platforms, reflecting integrated cross-platform campaigns.
The report further noted CTV's ability to attract exclusive advertisers and categories. Connected TV featured 12 exclusive advertising categories and 15 exclusive advertisers, compared with just one exclusive category and one exclusive advertiser on linear television.
Exclusive CTV categories included luggage, e-commerce education, laptops and notebooks, tyres, and vitamins and health supplements. Among the leading exclusive advertisers were Pernod Ricard India, Eduauraa Technologies, Lenovo, Ceat India and Naturell (India).
According to the report, the findings indicate that while linear television continues to provide mass reach for premium sporting events, Connected TV is increasingly becoming a preferred platform for brands seeking targeted audiences and greater category diversity in live sports advertising.
