In a country where cricket isn’t just a sport but a national obsession, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has long been a magnet for brands looking to capture attention. But in 2025, the game has shifted from the handheld screen to the living room wall.

According to data from COTT, IPL 2025 drew a record-breaking 308 million unique viewers across mobile and Connected TV (CTV)—with 61 million tuning in via smart TVs and OTT platforms. The implications for marketers are profound: CTV has arrived, and it’s rewriting the rulebook for brand recall in India.

CTV is no longer just an extension of digital media—it’s quickly becoming the new primetime. With immersive formats, fewer distractions, and longer watch sessions, smart TVs offer advertisers the kind of brand visibility that traditional platforms can’t match. And during IPL, the most watched event in the country, that advantage became even more apparent.

Attention Meets Impact
COTT’s real-time, panel-based research reveals what many marketers suspected: brands that focused on CTV during IPL saw a disproportionately high recall value. Fantasy gaming platforms like My11Circle and Dream11 topped the charts, with My11Circle claiming a massive 22.5% top-of-mind (TOM) recall, and Dream11 close behind at 14 percent. That’s not just visibility—that’s resonance.

Interestingly, even Google Pay, a platform known more for its mobile-first utility, cracked the top three. The takeaway? Cross-screen synergy matters. Whether you’re gaming, transacting, or shopping online, CTV makes your brand bigger—literally and figuratively.

Here’s a snapshot of the Top-of-Mind Recall during IPL on CTV:

My11Circle – 22.5 percent
Dream11 – 14.08 percent
Google Pay – 4.93 percent
Rajshree Elaichi & Campa Cola – 3.5 percent each
Zupee & Ambuja Cement – 2.8 percent & 2.1percent respectively

Notably, TOM scores outpaced spontaneous recall (SPONT) across key brands, reinforcing the idea that CTV doesn’t just generate fleeting attention—it builds memory.

Why CTV Recall Means More
Unlike traditional digital platforms, which often chase clicks and impressions, CTV thrives in a less cluttered, high-intent environment. Viewers are settled, engaged, and often watching with others—making brand messages stick.

What also sets CTV apart is measurability. Thanks to COTT’s blend of video fingerprinting and behavioural mapping, brands can go beyond surface metrics to understand who remembered their ad, and more importantly, why.

In a fragmented attention economy, these insights are gold.

IPL on CTV: The New Brand Battleground
The 2025 season has proven that IPL on CTV is no longer just an experiment—it’s the main stage. For digital-first brands, particularly in gaming, fintech, and e-commerce, the IPL served as a powerful recall engine, transforming passive viewers into active brand recallers.

CTV is not just another screen—it’s the screen that matters.
As India continues to embrace smart TVs and on-demand viewing, marketers would do well to pivot their strategies. The message is loud and clear: if you’re not on the big screen, you’re not playing the big game.