JioHotstar leads CTV ads
- JioHotstar led connected-TV advertising during IPL 2026, taking roughly 35% share of CTV ad inventory. - The platform also launched a signal-led commerce ad capability in partnership with Instamart. - That split between CTV dominance and commerce integration shows IPL ad planning is now screen- and conversion-focused. ( )
JioHotstar took the biggest share of connected-TV advertising in the first 22 IPL 2026 matches, with about 35% of CTV inventory. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) TAM Sports’ analysis covered 22 live matches played between March 28 and April 14, 2026, and showed a different pecking order on the two main screens. On connected TV, JioHotstar led advertisers; on linear television, Google ranked first with a 13% share. (bestmediainfo.com) The category mix split too. E-commerce, media, entertainment and social media made up 35% of CTV advertising, while mouth fresheners led linear television with a 14% share, followed by e-commerce other services at 12%. (afaqs.com) Connected TV means internet-delivered video watched on a television set, not a phone. IPL advertisers have been treating that screen more like premium video, with smartphones, cars and air conditioners also showing up among the top CTV categories in TAM’s data. (manifest-media.in) JioHotstar moved beyond selling ad slots on April 21, when it introduced a signal-led commerce advertising product with Instamart as the first partner. The company said the system uses aggregated, privacy-safe signals to identify viewers by purchase intent rather than only age, gender or content choice. (jiostar.com) Instamart’s role makes the pitch more direct: show an ad during a match, find viewers more likely to buy, and connect media exposure to a shopping outcome. JioHotstar said the tool is built for live sports and entertainment, where large audiences arrive at the same moment. (cnbctv18.com) The shift comes as IPL television advertising has softened at the start of the season. Firstpost, citing TAM ADex, reported TV ad volumes were down 3% early in IPL 2026, while the number of categories fell 22% to about 40 and the advertiser count dropped 31% to about 45. (firstpost.com) That left IPL 2026 with a sharper division: connected TV carried premium-screen branding, and JioHotstar’s new Instamart tie-up pushed the same tournament toward measurable shopping actions. (medianews4u.com)
