IPL: Bollywood superstars, top players share ad spoils as cricket frenzy sweeps India over
IPL 2024: Cricket mania may be sweeping India over, but the biggest money-makers in the accompanying ad frenzy are not cricketers, but Bollywood superstars. When it comes to TV advertisements, those who seem to have the most firepower are, in fact, two of India's favourites for all seasons — B-Town big guns Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn.
Laughing all the way to the bank with the fattest endorsement cheques is Shah Rukh Khan, who has emerged as the most prominent celebrity this IPL season, commanding a 12% share of ad volumes across the first 37 matches, as per data from TAM Sports.
Following closely behind is Ajay Devgn, who secured a 7% share in the overall ad volume.
Cricketing celebrity endorsers are not doing badly too. Virendra Sehwag, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya each has a 4% share. In the previous season, Bollywood star Aamir Khan led the list with a 10% share.
In IPL 17, it's notable that athletes secured the majority of brand endorsements, comprising 50% of ad volumes, while Bollywood actors trailed behind with 36%. This marks a shift from the previous IPL season, where Bollywood actors held the majority share of 53%, with sports personalities following at 39%.
Brands are capitalising on the high and rising viewership. Leading advertising brands in this edition are from categories such as e-commerce gaming, pan masala, soft drinks and face wash.
In this IPL season, television viewership has already surpassed all previous records by the halfway point, exceeding the pre-COVID (2019) levels.
