Brands flock to India’s England tour as marquee bilateral cricket holds ad appeal

Mumbai: India's tour of England is drawing strong advertiser interest across television and digital platforms despite a cautious marketing environment, underscoring cricket’s continued appeal even as brands remain selective about spending, industry executives said.

Sony Sports Network has sold around 70% of its advertising inventory for India's tour of England, signing nine sponsors and nearly 30 brands.

The broadcaster is targeting about Rs 160 crore in advertising revenue from the series, including the Ireland tour, industry insiders said.


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JioHotstar, which holds the digital rights, is also seeing strong advertiser demand, they said.

While bilateral cricket has ceded advertising share in recent years to marquee properties such as the IPL and ICC tournaments, the India-England series remains among the few that continues to command premium advertising rates.

Industry executives estimate television advertising rates of Rs 5-10 lakh for a 10-second spot during marquee T20 matches, while Connected TV inventory can command a CPM (cost per mille) of up to Rs 500. CPM indicates the amount an advertiser pays for every 1,000 views of their ad.

Industry executives estimate television advertising rates of Rs 5-10 lakh for a 10-second spot during marquee T20 matches, while Connected TV inventory can command CPMs of up to Rs 500.

“Live sports has continued to be one of the more resilient categories for advertising, particularly because it combines mass reach with strong consumer engagement,” said Anup Govindan, chief revenue officer, sports, at JioStar. “While marketers remain disciplined in how they deploy budgets, there is a clear preference for premium properties that can deliver predictable reach, strong engagement and measurable outcomes. Live sports continue to fit that requirement well.”

Akshay Agarwal, head of linear ad sales at Sony Pictures Networks India, said the India-England rivalry commands a 35-40% premium over other bilateral series because of its legacy, consistently strong television viewership and prime-time matches.

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Sony's advertisers include Apple, BHIM, Fogg, Kent, Puro, Director's Special Elaichi, Axis Max Life Insurance and Kamla Pasand, reflecting demand from technology, FMCG, consumer durables, financial services and beverage brands.

It expects advertiser demand to strengthen further as the series progresses.

Last year, Sony, which holds the England and Wales Cricket Board's India media rights, sublicensed the digital rights to JioHotstar while retaining television rights. The India-England tour comprises five T20Is and three ODIs.

“At the moment, sports advertising spends are fragmented across multiple marquee events, including FIFA, Wimbledon, the Women's T20 World Cup and the India-England series, which has resulted in marketing budgets being spread across properties,” said Navin Khemka, president – client solutions at WPP Media South Asia.

“The first half of the year was particularly busy from a sports advertising perspective, while July is traditionally a softer month for ad spending,” he said. “In addition, advertiser sentiment has remained cautious due to geopolitical uncertainties. However, we are beginning to see sentiment improve.”

According to WPP Media’s Sporting Nation 2025 report, sports media advertising grew 19.8% year-on-year to Rs 9,571 crore in 2025. Digital advertising rose 24% to Rs 4,449 crore, outpacing television, which grew 16.4% to Rs 5,117 crore.

Anand Chakravarthy, chief growth officer at Omnicom Media Group India, said, “The India-England series should continue to attract strong advertiser interest as cricket remains a high-impact platform for brands.”

With sports consumption increasingly shifting to digital, “brands targeting premium audiences are likely to prefer connected TV, while those seeking scale and mass reach will continue to rely on linear television,” Chakravarthy said.