Women’s World Cup 2025 set to deliver 70% surge in ad revenues; India-game TV spots up 40%, OTT CPMs up 50%
As the tournament returns to India after 12 years, broadcasters see record demand. India–Pakistan clashes command 40% premium, sponsorships rise up to ₹35 crore, and OTT viewership projected to grow 80%
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The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, which kicks off on September 30 across India and Sri Lanka, is shaping up to be the most commercially successful edition of the tournament yet. With India hosting the event after a 12-year gap, advertising rates have soared across television, OTT, and connected TV (CTV), while sponsorship valuations have climbed by as much as 50% compared to the last World Cup in 2022.
TV and OTT prices hit new highs
According to Yasin Hamidani, Director at Media Care Brand Solutions, 10-second TV ad spots for India matches are commanding 25–40% higher rates than in 2022, averaging between ₹2–3 lakh. OTT CPMs on mobile have surged by 30–50%, while CTV CPMs- driven by big-screen consumption in metros- are up a sharper 40–60%. JioStar is the official broadcaster and streaming partner for the tournament.
“This tournament is benefiting from the dual tailwinds of being staged in India and the momentum created by the Women’s Premier League,” Hamidani said. “Advertisers are chasing premium urban audiences on CTV even more aggressively than on mobile.”
Nikhil Rangnekar, CEO of MediaCircle, added that across platforms ad rates should rise 15–20% on average, with India–Pakistan games fetching the steepest markups.
India–Pakistan clashes drive premium pricing
As always, the India–Pakistan rivalry is proving to be the golden ticket. For these high-voltage fixtures, TV inventory is 20–40% more expensive, while OTT and CTV rates are up by 30–50%.
Overall, the Women’s World Cup is expected to generate 1.4 to 1.7 times the ad revenue of 2022, with Hamidani projecting that OTT streaming alone could grow by 50–80% compared to the last edition. Rangnekar estimates total ad revenue and viewership will be at least 25–30% higher than 2022.
The early sell-through rates confirm the optimism.
While the sponsorship line-up has not yet been formally announced, media executives share that broadcasters have already sold 65–80% of TV inventory for India games, while non-India matches are at 35–55%, depending on slot and timing. On OTT, live-stream pods and mid-rolls are already 60–75% booked, with CTV placements in metros seeing the strongest traction.
Typically, the final 7–10 days before the tournament witness a rush of festival-season ad buys, which could push sell-out rates close to full capacity.
One of the biggest shifts this year is the ICC’s decision to decouple women’s cricket sponsorships from the men’s game, allowing standalone deals that highlight the women’s sport as a distinct commercial property.
A senior media planner shares that title sponsorships are priced at ₹20–35 crore and co-sponsorships at ₹8–15 crore, representing a 25–50% hike over 2022 levels. FMCG, BFSI, fintech, technology, and lifestyle brands are expected to dominate the roster, filling the vacuum left by online gaming advertisers, who face regulatory caps after the enactment of the Payment and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
“The exit of gaming brands has shifted the spotlight to safer long-term categories like FMCG and BFSI,” Hamidani noted. IIM Raipur professor Dhananjay Bapat added that the tournament offers brands “a powerful opportunity to project women as performers and break the glass ceiling, aligning themselves with purpose-driven narratives.”
Building on the WPL wave
The commercial momentum comes on the back of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which earlier this year recorded 30 million TV viewers for its opening match, with several brands hiking spends by 15–20% year-on-year.
Sanjog Gupta, newly appointed CEO of the ICC, recently told media that the upcoming World Cup could be the inflection point for women’s cricket in India. “A World Cup leaves behind a legacy and a culture that inspires generations. The 2017 final drew 156 million Indian viewers despite the heartbreak. This time, playing at home, we expect even bigger numbers,” he said.
The World Cup will be staged across Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore, and Visakhapatnam in India, and Colombo in Sri Lanka, offering a regional spread that broadcasters hope will further amplify reach.
While the commercial windfall is evident, industry watchers also stress the long-term cultural impact. “The achievements of women in other sporting disciplines are already generating a ripple effect,” Bapat said. “This World Cup can solidify women’s cricket as a standalone property and a movement.”
It is to be noted that the ICC recently announced a record-breaking prize pool for the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025- the champions will pocket $4.48 million (Rs 39.55 crore), a massive leap from the $1.32 million (Rs 11.65 crore) awarded in the last edition in 2022.
Overall, the eight-team tournament will feature a total prize purse of $13.88 million (Rs 122.5 crore) - a nearly 297% increase from the previous edition's $3.5 million (Rs 31 crore).
The announcement also makes history as the prize pot now surpasses the ICC Men's World Cup 2023, which offered $10 million (Rs 88.26 crore).
ICC Chairman Jay Shah hailed the development as a "defining milestone" for women's cricket in a statement. "This four-fold increase in prize money is a landmark moment and reflects our clear commitment to the long-term growth of women’s cricket. Our message is simple: women cricketers must know they will be treated on par with men if they choose this sport professionally,” he said.
