Television advertising during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 saw a sharp decline, with ad volumes down 75% compared to the 2023 final, according to a new report by TAM Sports.
The TAM Sports Advertising Report, which analysed commercial advertising trends across the WTC finals in 2021, 2023, and 2025, found that indexed ad volumes dropped from 107 in 2023 to just 27 in 2025, using the 2021 final as the base index of 100.
South Africa emerged as the 2025 champions, defeating Australia in the final. The match was broadcast on the Star Sports network.
Despite the drop in ad volumes, the match set new viewership benchmarks. According to the ICC, the 2025 final became the highest-rated and most-watched non-India Test match on television, clocking 2.94 billion viewing minutes and reaching 47 million viewers on the Star Sports network.
Digital engagement also soared, with 225 million views across platforms, nearly rivalling the numbers for the 2023 final between India and Australia at The Oval.
However, the strong audience reach did not translate into advertising momentum. The number of advertising categories fell from 44 in 2023 to 13 in 2025, a 70% drop. Advertiser count declined 71% from 49 to 14, and the number of participating brands shrank from 70 to 14, marking an 80% reduction.
In contrast, the 2023 final had seen a 7% rise in ad volumes over 2021, when India played New Zealand.
Industry experts attribute the latest decline to a combination of factors: India’s absence from the final, diminishing advertiser interest in the Test format, and shifting marketing spends due to a packed sports calendar increasingly dominated by the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Among leading advertisers, Maruti Suzuki India topped the charts during ICC TC '23, while Star India (JioHotstar) emerged as the top advertiser in ICC TC’25. The top five advertisers contributed 27% of total ad volumes in 2023, but their share rose significantly to 68% in 2025.
The top five advertising categories contributed nearly 70% of total ad volumes in 2025, a sharp rise from 38% in the 2023 edition. Perfumes/Deodorants and Ecom-Media/Entertainment/Social Media were the leading categories in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
The TAM Sports Advertising Report, which analysed commercial advertising trends across the WTC finals in 2021, 2023, and 2025, found that indexed ad volumes dropped from 107 in 2023 to just 27 in 2025, using the 2021 final as the base index of 100.
South Africa emerged as the 2025 champions, defeating Australia in the final. The match was broadcast on the Star Sports network.
Despite the drop in ad volumes, the match set new viewership benchmarks. According to the ICC, the 2025 final became the highest-rated and most-watched non-India Test match on television, clocking 2.94 billion viewing minutes and reaching 47 million viewers on the Star Sports network.
Digital engagement also soared, with 225 million views across platforms, nearly rivalling the numbers for the 2023 final between India and Australia at The Oval.
However, the strong audience reach did not translate into advertising momentum. The number of advertising categories fell from 44 in 2023 to 13 in 2025, a 70% drop. Advertiser count declined 71% from 49 to 14, and the number of participating brands shrank from 70 to 14, marking an 80% reduction.
In contrast, the 2023 final had seen a 7% rise in ad volumes over 2021, when India played New Zealand.
Industry experts attribute the latest decline to a combination of factors: India’s absence from the final, diminishing advertiser interest in the Test format, and shifting marketing spends due to a packed sports calendar increasingly dominated by the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Among leading advertisers, Maruti Suzuki India topped the charts during ICC TC '23, while Star India (JioHotstar) emerged as the top advertiser in ICC TC’25. The top five advertisers contributed 27% of total ad volumes in 2023, but their share rose significantly to 68% in 2025.
The top five advertising categories contributed nearly 70% of total ad volumes in 2025, a sharp rise from 38% in the 2023 edition. Perfumes/Deodorants and Ecom-Media/Entertainment/Social Media were the leading categories in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
