Multi-Screen Behaviour Is Reshaping IPL Advertising

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has evolved into far more than a sporting event. It is a cultural phenomenon that grows larger every year, transforming into a three-month festival that compresses celebration, emotion, and unmatched attention.

For brands, IPL represents one of the most valuable opportunities to connect with audiences at scale. However, something fundamental has changed in recent years; IPL is no longer a single screen experience.

This shift has become increasingly visible across campaigns and consumer journeys, signalling a deeper transformation in how attention is distributed during the season.

Download: Affinity’s report on IPL 2026: How brands can win attention this season without sponsorships.

IPL is no longer just watched, it’s experienced.

Cricket today is not simply consumed; it is experienced across moments, platforms, and devices.

Earlier, IPL viewership was concentrated around a single high-intent moment: the live match. This shaped how brands approached advertising, focusing heavily on peak-time visibility and high-impact placements.

Today, that model feels incomplete.

The IPL experience has expanded into a continuous digital loop that begins well before the match and continues long after it ends. Fans no longer tune in only at 7:30 PM. Instead, they move fluidly through the day, checking highlights in the morning, following updates through the afternoon, engaging during the match, and consuming reactions late into the night.

The match is no longer the centre of attention. It is part of a broader, always-on engagement cycle.

The Rise of Multi-Screen Behaviour

What defines IPL consumption today is not just scale, but simultaneity.

A viewer might be watching the match on television or OTT, while simultaneously checking live stats on their phone, reacting on social platforms, or browsing related content. These behaviours don’t compete with each other; they layer on top of one another.

This is not fragmentation. It is depth.

For brands, this changes the nature of engagement. Instead of relying on one screen to deliver impact, there is now an opportunity to connect with audiences across multiple surfaces, each serving a different role in the consumer journey.

From what we’ve observed at Affinity, attention during IPL doesn’t sit in one place. It flows across screens, apps, and contexts often within minutes.

Beyond ‘Big Moment’ Advertising

IPL advertising has long been associated with big-ticket investments like sponsorships, television slots, and OTT inventory.

These channels continue to deliver reach and prestige. But they also come with clear limitations. They are expensive, highly competitive, and restricted to specific time windows.

More importantly, they capture attention only during select moments such as the toss or the final over. But the modern IPL viewer is not active only during these moments.

They are engaged throughout the day: checking updates, browsing content, interacting with apps, and making decisions in real time. These in-between moments, often overlooked, are where influence quietly builds.

Missing a sponsorship today does not mean missing the seasonal opportunity. It simply means the strategy needs to evolve.

Attention has moved, brands need to follow.

The most important shift in IPL today is not in viewership numbers, but in where and how attention exists.

A significant portion of audiences now engage with IPL through smartphones either alongside television or as their primary screen. Connected TV is growing, OTT is expanding, and smartphone remains constant companion.

The conversations, the behaviours, the interactions, the decisions, they all happen across devices, across platforms, and across moments that extend far beyond the match itself.

For brands, this means the opportunity is no longer limited to what happens on the field or during the broadcast. It exists in the ecosystem around it.

From Reach to Relevance

This shift calls for a change in how IPL campaigns are planned.

For years, success during IPL was defined by reach how many people saw your brand during the biggest moments. Today, that definition is expanding.

Relevance is becoming just as important as visibility.

It is no longer enough to show up once during a high-impact moment. Brands need to show up consistently, contextually, and in alignment with how consumers are actually engaging with the tournament.

This means thinking beyond isolated campaigns and toward a more integrated, multi-screen presence. One that moves with the user across their journey.

At Affinity, this is where we see the most effective campaigns evolving, not around a single channel, but around the flow of attention itself.

Conclusion: Where are they actually looking?

IPL remains one of the most powerful cultural moments in India. But in a world where attention is fluid, mobile, and constantly shifting, the question for brands is no longer just how to participate. It is how to stay present.

Because in a season where everyone is watching, the more important question is: Where are they actually looking?