India’s victorious run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 not only captured the nation’s attention but also turned into a high-stakes battleground for advertisers, with the final alone drawing 135 million unique viewers on connected TV via JioHotstar, according to data released by Chrome DM’s COTT platform.

The data, based on India’s last three matches — from the Super 8 clash against West Indies to the Final against New Zealand — highlights how viewership growth directly translated into intensified advertising competition. The final emerged as the most crowded advertising environment, featuring 75 brands competing across 665 ad slots within a 130-minute broadcast window, nearly double the advertiser participation seen during the Super 8 stage.

Among the standout performers, Haier led the pack with an unprecedented 1,812 seconds of airtime in the final—equivalent to nearly 30 minutes—marking the highest single-match brand presence recorded during the tournament. Thums Up followed with strong visibility, recording 43 insertions during the Super 8 and peaking at 507 seconds of airtime in the Final.

Automotive major Hyundai adopted a strategic low-disruption approach, dominating Left Corner Logo (LCL) placements during the semi-final with 29 insertions, ensuring consistent brand recall during crucial match moments. Meanwhile, Spinny demonstrated creative agility by shifting from LCL-heavy placements in earlier matches to L-Band formats in the Final, aligning with rising audience scale.

In a notable late-stage pivot, ChatGPT moved to high-impact midroll advertising during the final, deploying nine insertions after not using the format in earlier matches — indicating a calculated strategy to maximise visibility during peak viewership.

A surprise entrant in the final was SBI YONO, which executed one of the most concentrated single-format campaigns of the tournament. The brand recorded 130 LCL insertions and 1,321 seconds of airtime, making it the top advertiser by insertion count in the final and second overall in total airtime.

The report underscores how live sports — particularly high-stakes cricket tournaments—continue to command massive digital audiences, while also evolving into sophisticated advertising ecosystems. With formats such as Aston Bands, L-Bands, Midrolls and LCLs offering varied levels of engagement, brands are increasingly tailoring their strategies to match audience behaviour and match intensity.

COTT, operated by Chrome DM, tracks OTT and connected TV viewership across major platforms, including Netflix, Prime Video, Sony LIV, Zee5 and JioHotstar, measuring audience reach, engagement and advertising impact across more than 70,000 panel respondents in India.