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Ad spend in limbo as IPL 2025 suspension jolts brand plans amid India-Pak tensions
Indefinite halt of cricket’s biggest ad event pushes brands to scrap IPL-themed campaigns, pivot to OTT, influencer marketing. Not only the suspension could result in losses of 50–70% of committed budgets, many are also rushing to renegotiate for non-IPL inventory or demand refunds and credits.
Experts said that for brands tied to multi-year sponsorship deals like My11Circle, the damage could be significant, while others may rush to renegotiate for non-IPL inventory or demand refunds and credits.
The indefinite suspension of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, triggered by escalating India-Pakistan tensions, has thrown brand and media plans into disarray, freezing ad spends worth an estimated Rs 2,500–3,000 crore. Industry leaders say the fallout extends from creative overhauls to frantic reallocations, with ripple effects across TV, digital, and influencer marketing ecosystems.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on May 9, announced the indefinite suspension of the tournament. The decision was made following an emergency meeting, emphasizing the safety of players, staff, and spectators, following the abandonment of the May 8 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala due to air raid alerts in nearby regions.
Prabhakar Tiwari, Partner at FRN Advisory, called it a "seismic shock" for advertisers. “Brands will be forced to pivot campaigns, which will include last-minute withdrawal of IPL-themed creatives, shift to alternative sports platforms, and reallocation of budgets from TV to OTT,” he said. “FMCG, beverages, fintech, gaming, auto, e-commerce — all heavy IPL spenders — will need new media plans, fast.
Suspension could result in losses of 50–70% of committed budgets if matches aren’t rescheduled, as seen in 2021 when Star India lost significant revenue.”
He added that for brands tied to multi-year sponsorship deals like My11Circle, the damage could be significant, while others may rush to renegotiate for non-IPL inventory or demand refunds and credits.
Highlighting how IPL is the single largest platform for sports marketing in India, with billions of rupees invested in sponsorships, advertising, and activations, Saurabh Parmar, Fractional Chief Growth Officer, shared, "Many of those that had allocated their ad budgets to this will need to reallocate. News Media could be the biggest beneficiary of this,given that that's where eyeballs are going, or OTT." He suggested the smart move would be to use the budgets not in the same kind of ad formats but move it to other brand-building efforts or other aspects of marketing-which are slow-growing but high-impact.
Added an FMCG advertiser, "If the IPL is rescheduled, advertising expenditure could see a partial rebound in the second half of 2025. However, clashes with global sporting calendars and uncertainties around player availability might result in a scaled-down season, limiting revenue potential."
Sindhu Biswal, CEO and founder of Buzzlab, confirmed early shifts in brand behaviour. “I got a bunch of calls today from some brands asking us to handle their influencer marketing, YouTube and Instagram channel building. New brands that are performance marketing-dependent generally slow down during IPL because of high CPMs — they might scale now as CPMs should be stable within a few more days.”
Sagar Mankar, Director-Digital Marketing at Vedantu, said e-commerce platforms — typically priced out of IPL ad slots — may now benefit: “The suspension will significantly benefit e-commerce platforms. Fantasy league players like Dream11, MPL typically bid aggressively for ad slots. E-commerce platforms, which usually reduce their ad spending during such marquee tournaments, will now have access to these slots at more desirable terms.”
While some industry players are bracing for losses, others advocate a more patient approach.
Sandeep Goyal, Chairman of Rediffusion, said, “The war concerns us all. And it also entails sacrifices and sometimes adverse business outcomes. Best strategy for all – wait and watch. Hopefully, the hostilities will get over soon. Then it can be business as usual.”
Abhik Santara, CEO of Atom Network, offered a contrarian view, suggesting this is a pause, not a full stop. “IPL is postponed and not cancelled, and I think it's a very good decision. It feels insensitive and depressing to watch someone selling anything amidst the situation we are in,” he said.
According to him, brands which planned their spends mostly from play-offs will have to look at alternative options or lie low for a few days. Sponsors, and co-sponsors will have to take a pause, but resume after a while.
“It’s not really a big loss, rather an extension of the campaigns, when people and consumers are in a better state of mind.”
Whether this disruption turns into a strategic reset or a prolonged setback depends on how swiftly brands can pivot. For now, marketers are playing a different kind of power play, off the field.
SPOTLIGHT
At the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spotlighted the critical role of traditional media in an evolving digital landscape. He emphasized that such gatherings can aid the govt in formulating more effective policies for a balanced and sustainable media ecosystem.
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