ICC WTC Final 2025 sees 75% ad volume drop despite record viewership: TAM adex
As per the report, ad volumes for the third edition of the ICC Test Championship Final plummeted by 74.77 percent compared to the 2023 showdown between India and Australia. The drop was nearly 73 percent when compared to the inaugural final held in 2021 between India and New Zealand.
The difference is clear when you compare it to the 2023 final, where ad volumes jumped 7% over 2021. The Indian team being in those earlier finals really drove advertiser interest. But that won't happen in 2025 since India isn't playing in the big game.
As per the report, the number of advertising categories, advertisers, and brands shrank over 70 percent in the 2025 final compared to the 2023 edition. The categories saw 70 percent decline in 2025 as compared to 2023 whereas the number of advertisers declined by 71 percent and brands declined by 80 percent. This sharp drop highlights the considerable sway the Indian team holds over commercial interest in major cricketing events.
According to Anil Solanki, senior director, media lead, Dentsu X, Test cricket, while rich in legacy, continues to face challenges in attracting advertisers compared to the high-octane T20 formats. 'This year's drop in ad volumes can be attributed to a few key factors—India not being in the final match significantly impacted viewership sentiment, and brands are increasingly favoring moment-driven formats with sharper ROI.'
He further added, 'Long-format cricket demands sustained attention, which is harder to justify in today's fragmented, attention-short consumer landscape.'
Another senior media planner on the condition of anonymity shared a similar opinion that the absence of India in the ICC WTC 2025 final has impacted advertiser interest, with ad volumes seeing a notable decline. 'India's participation typically guarantees higher viewership, particularly from a cricket-obsessed market that drives premium ad rates,' he added.
While Maruti Suzuki India led the advertising charts in ICC TC'23, Star India (JioHotstar) emerged as the top advertiser in 2025. Interestingly, the top five advertisers in ICC TC'25 accounted for more than 65 percent of the total ad volumes, a significant concentration compared to the 28 percent contribution by top advertisers in 2023. Glaxo Smithkline, Billion Brains Garage Ventures, Apple Computer India and Apetch were among the top five advertisers in 2025.
The top five advertising categories collectively made up nearly 40 percent of total volumes in both editions. Perfumes/Deodorants and Ecom-Media/Entertainment/Social Media were consistent performers, featuring among the top five categories in both 2023 and 2025. However, while the 2023 final saw strong representation from the Auto sector, the 2025 edition saw a shift toward Services sector categories.
We have reached out to JioStar for their comments and the story will be updated once we hear back from them.
According to the ICC official release, the WTC Final 2025 shattered
viewership records
. The match became Star Sports Network's highest-rated and most-watched non-India Test match, garnering 2.94 billion viewing minutes and reaching 47 million viewers on television in India alone. Digital engagement also soared, with 225 million digital views, rivaling numbers from the 2023 final that featured India. The game at Lord's Cricket Ground attracted a total in-stadium attendance of 109,227 over four days from June 11 to 14, where South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets in a thrilling contest.
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