Brands in a Dilemma: Champions Trophy vs. IPL Which to Choose?

After an eight-year gap, the ICC is bringing back the Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9. This highly anticipated tournament is expected to generate significant buzz. However, brands are in a dilemma as the IPL begins just five days later on March 14, and with limited budgets, they must decide which event to back.

Mansi Datta, Chief Strategy Officer at Wavemaker India, explains that the Champions Trophy offers a shorter, high-impact window at a lower cost, with just 15 matches, including three India games. In contrast, the IPL provides longer higher-cost exposure with 74 matches over two months.

“The Champions Trophy on CTV is expected to attract high viewership from this affluent segment. Since cricket is a co-viewing sport, it also helps brands drive emotional connections and deeper engagement. It also allows for more refined and effective advertising strategies, with CTV offering precise audience targeting based on demographics and geo-locations,” she added.

Further, “The eight-year gap heightens excitement, reigniting interest in the 50-over format. With India in strong form following their T20 World Cup win in 2024, they are among the favourites, making the tournament even more enticing for fans and brands alike,” she says.

Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Grapes Digital, says brands value cricket for engagement but are uncertain about the Champions Trophy’s impact, given the IPL and World Cup's dominance. She believes the ICC should have scheduled the event earlier, as brands need more time to adjust budgets, which isn’t feasible on short notice, except for those with large reserves.

“Brands are now having to decide how to allocate their budgets, given their limitations. So many brands interested in the ICC Champions Trophy are pulling budgets from the IPL, as they can't afford to participate in both tournaments,” she noted.

Further, “The ICC's planning seems rushed. Quarter 2 ad expenditure results already showed a significant dip, possibly due to market uncertainties and speculation of a downturn. While we await Quarter 3 AdEx results, this could have been better managed. Announcing the event so abruptly puts unnecessary strain on stakeholders,” she says.

Deleise Ross, senior VP, Mudramax, says this tournament holds a special place due to its high stakes format, featuring only the top teams in a condensed competition.

Deleise stated, “As of now there is no noticeable change in either rates or the way ad slots are sold but may be after this first tournament learnings may be generated and IPL may look different. But that again is just an assumption.”

Furthermore, “The tournament has provided memorable moments over the years and brands see this year as a great opportunity too. It also features classic rivalries like India versus Pakistan which are bound to gain high eye balls. These are opportunities which brands want to ride on as well,” she says.

Meghna Muthappa, national sales head, ITW, says, since India finished runners up in the 50-over World Cup and Champions in the T20 version there is a lot of excitement among fans as well as brands who are looking to optimise on the opportunity, especially those that may have missed out last year.

Meghna stated, “Matches featuring India come at a premium ranging to 40%-60% higher than non India matches. Typically on digital since packages are clubbed by matches a one off match isn’t typically what advertisers go for, however there is no denying that India vs Pakistan is the big ticket draw in the tournament."

Further, “For brands the Champions Trophy presents a unique opportunity to engage with cricket fans especially at the start of a new year and acts as an ideal springboard for campaigns that build up to the IPL and ensure visibility and impact. So in that sense it is certainly exciting and presents a longer runway than usual for 2025,” she says.

The India vs Pakistan match on February 23 is expected to be the most viewed and talked about, with rates possibly doubling. After months of uncertainty about India's participation in Pakistan, the issue was resolved three weeks ago when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) agreed to a hybrid model, allowing India to play its matches in Dubai. Depending on India's progress, the final could be held in either Dubai or Lahore.