ADVERTISING TRENDS during the first 62 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 indicate a changing sports media landscape, with Connected TV (CTV) strengthening its position even as traditional Linear TV (LTV) remained the dominant platform for advertisers. According to the latest TAM Sports Commercial Advertising Report, average advertising volume per channel per match on Linear TV declined by 14 per cent compared to the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The report suggests that one of the factors behind the decline could be the tournament’s hosting in the United States. The time difference between India and the US is approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes, significantly higher than the roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes difference with Qatar, which hosted the 2022 edition. The less favourable match timings for Indian viewers are likely to have affected audience reach and, consequently, advertiser demand.
Despite the decline, Linear TV continued to attract a larger share of advertising activity than Connected TV. However, the tournament witnessed fewer advertising categories, advertisers and brands on Linear TV compared to previous editions, reflecting the gradual diversification of advertising investments across digital viewing platforms.
The advertising mix also differed significantly between the two platforms. Liquor emerged as the leading advertising category on Linear TV, while the cars category dominated Connected TV. Retail Outlets–Jewellers retained the third position on both platforms, highlighting its continued importance among sports advertisers.
Advertising concentration was considerably higher on Linear TV. The top five advertising categories accounted for 93 per cent of total ad volume on Linear TV, compared with 57 per cent on Connected TV, indicating that CTV attracted a broader range of categories despite its relatively smaller overall advertising inventory.
At the advertiser level, United Spirits recorded the highest advertising volume on Linear TV, while Mahindra & Mahindra led the rankings on Connected TV. The report also found that United Spirits, Mahindra & Mahindra and Kalyan Jewellers featured among the top five advertisers on both platforms, demonstrating their integrated multi-platform marketing strategy during the tournament.
The top five advertisers contributed 87 per cent of total advertising volume on Linear TV, compared with 55 per cent on Connected TV. This suggests that advertising on Connected TV was more evenly distributed among a wider range of brands, while Linear TV remained heavily dominated by a handful of major advertisers.
Brand-level analysis revealed a similar trend. The top five brands accounted for 69 per cent of advertising volume on Linear TV, whereas the top five brands on Connected TV contributed 42 per cent. Mahindra Thar Roxx, Mahindra XEV 9E and Mahindra BE 6 were among the leading brands common to both platforms, underlining Mahindra’s strong integrated marketing campaign during the World Cup.
One of the report’s notable findings was the absence of any exclusive advertising categories or advertisers on Linear TV compared with Connected TV during the first 62 matches. In contrast, Connected TV attracted several categories that did not advertise on Linear TV, reflecting the platform’s growing appeal to digital-first marketers.
The top exclusive categories on Connected TV included Aerated Soft Drinks, Luggage, E-commerce Education, Vitamins, Tonics and Health Supplements, and Corporate or Brand Image campaigns. Meanwhile, exclusive advertisers on the platform included Pernod Ricard India Pvt. Ltd., Eduauraa Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Naturell (India) Pvt. Ltd. and adidas.
