JioStar has unveiled its IPL 2026 advertising rate card with a significant 25% increase in connected TV (CTV) ad rates, signaling an aggressive push toward premium digital inventory ahead of cricket’s marquee tournament.
The base CTV CPM for a 10-second advertisement has jumped to Rs 600 from Rs 480 in 2025, while traditional television pricing remains largely unchanged.
This marks a strategic shift as broadcasters increasingly monetize streaming platforms where viewer engagement and targeting capabilities are higher.
New Buying Routes Create Price Differentiation
A major structural change is the introduction of two distinct buying routes for live CTV inventory.
The default “in a block” option offers standard pricing, while the premium “any match selection” route commands approximately 50% higher rates across live midroll and preroll CPMs.
This tiered approach gives advertisers flexibility but at a steeper cost for cherry-picking high-profile matches.
JioStar has also tightened inventory governance, implementing caps on share of impressions and eligibility conditions.
High-demand fixtures, including opening matches and playoffs, will be treated differently under the match selection model.
Spot Buying Restructured
The 2025 “CTV Live” spot rate category has been eliminated. Instead, spot-based buying now flows through CTL (commercial time live) and PPL (preferred placement live) routes.
Premium CTL-2 positions are priced at Rs 21,35,000 for 10 seconds, while CTL-1,3,4 slots cost Rs 12,95,000. CTL premium positioning attracts an additional 25% premium and requires large match commitments.
Meanwhile, handheld (mobile) rates remain stable year-on-year, and hyper-personalized targeting is now positioned as a separately priced product rather than a bundled feature.
Impact formats carry premium pricing, with Live Generic Squeezeup (L-band) costing Rs 2,50,000 per exposure on mobile and Rs 4,50,000 on CTV, reflecting the broadcaster’s confidence in IPL’s advertising pull across platforms.
