The Media Ant’s Sports Advertising FAQs: Planning, Pricing, and Measurement

1. What is the advantage of advertising in live sports vs entertainment on OTT?

Live sports on OTT offer three big advantages over entertainment content:

1. Massive reach in a short time
   A single T20 match (like IPL or an India international game) can deliver 100M+ viewers pan-India in one day, and the same holds true even for specific target geographies or TG slices.
   
2. 2–4x higher engagement
   Sports is live, appointment-viewing and “lean-forward” content. Viewers are actively watching every ball, unlike entertainment, which is usually “lean-back” and passive.
   
3. Higher trust and credibility for brands
   Your ad appears next to high-quality, premium sports content (vs generic OTT shows, UGC on YouTube, or social content), which builds trust, stature and recall for both new and established brands.
   

2. In OTT sports, can my ad be split between the first half and second half of the match?

Not exactly by “first half” and “second half”, but:

• Impressions are served dynamically based on actual live concurrency and views.
• Your ad delivery is usually distributed across the full live coverage, so it can appear in either or both innings depending on viewer behaviour and platform optimisation.
• You can target specific matches and formats, but exact over-by-over positioning is not guaranteed.
  

3. What is the minimum budget for good visibility in OTT sports advertising?

Minimum “good visibility” budgets depend on platform, format and match type:

• Connected TV (CTV):
  ~ ₹50L – ₹1Cr with video ads / squeeze-ups gives meaningful impact and visibility.
• Mobile OTT (apps/web):
  ~ ₹15L – ₹25L with video + banner combinations and proper targeting delivers strong reach.

Below these levels, visibility becomes too thin and frequency may not be ideal.

4. How many matches should a brand target and why?

It depends on budget and tournament:

• Bilateral series: Plan for a minimum of 5 matches to build frequency and recall.
• IPL: At least 10 matches for meaningful continuous presence.

More matches = more consistent reach and frequency, rather than a one-off appearance that users may miss.

5. Is live sports advertising right for my target audience (TG)?

In India, sports (especially cricket) reach 600M+ viewers.

• On Digital (CTV + Mobile), you get 40+ targeting options (age, gender, income, interests, device type, city tiers etc.).
• On Linear TV (LTV), you can customize by language feeds, HD/SD and regions.
  

So yes, sports can work for mass TG as well as sharp, niche TG, if targeting is planned correctly.

6. Why is sports advertising more expensive than other media?

Sports tends to have a higher CPM because:

• It delivers large live audiences in a short period.
  
• Engagement during live moments is much higher than regular content.

However, at a recommended minimum spend, sports usually gives a very efficient cost per reach because you get huge impact quickly, instead of spreading the same budget thinly across months.

7. Can I drive performance or direct conversions through sports advertising?

Sports advertising on OTT is primarily for:

• Awareness (Top Funnel)
• Consideration (Mid Funnel)

It is not a pure performance channel like search or always-on social ads. You can see indirect performance impact (more searches, visits, brand queries), but the primary role of sports is brand building, not immediate cost-per-lead optimisation.

8. I already advertise on other media. Why should I invest in sports instead of adding more budget there?

Sports should usually be seen as a booster layer, not a replacement:

1. It adds impact and salience on top of regular media.
2. You get high reach and frequency in a compressed time window.
3. The engagement and emotional intensity of sports creates higher brand recall vs regular media at the same GRPs.

So the right approach is often: “Do your regular media + add sports for impact” rather than only increasing base spends.

9. What targeting options are available for OTT sports advertising?

There are multiple targeting options, especially on digital:

• On CTV:
  • Pan-India
  • Top metros
  • State / regional focus
  • Language feeds
  • Premium audience segments
    
• On Mobile OTT:
  • Geography: Pan India, Metros, 1M+ population cities, single-city targeting
  • Device type: Android vs iOS, premium vs mass handsets
  • Demographics: Gender, age brackets (platform-dependent)
  • Other filters: Interests, income proxies, telecom circles (where available)

Overall, you can use 40+ targeting combinations to match your brand’s TG.

10. What has more impact – video ads or team branding during live sports?

Both play different roles:

• Video ads (pre-roll, mid-roll)
  • Best for storytelling, explaining product benefits and driving actions (visits, searches).
    
• Team branding (jersey, on-ground, logo presence)
  • Builds long-term association, prestige and recall with the team and the tournament.

Ideally, brands combine both: video for message + branding for association.

12. On average, how many times will a viewer see my sports ad (frequency)?

Frequency depends on:

• Your budget
• Number of matches
• Ad formats and placements selected

Most platforms and plans aim for a minimum frequency of 3+ exposures per unique viewer, to ensure recall.

13. What value does The Media Ant add? Why not buy directly from the platform?

Working with The Media Ant gives you:

• Strategic planning support across OTT, CTV, mobile and TV.
• Better negotiated rates and value-adds as strategic partners with key platforms.
• 7+ years of experience in servicing clients from multiple categories in live sports.
• A dedicated dashboard with complete campaign performance visibility, ensuring full transparency.

You don’t just get inventory—you get planning, optimisation and reporting, end-to-end.

14. Which is better for me – Mobile OTT or CTV for sports advertising?

It depends on budget and objectives:

• CTV
  • Best for premium audiences, top metros, and high-income households.
  • Great for brand-building and perception.
    
• Mobile OTT
  • Lower CPM, higher reach, and more granular targeting.
  • Good for scale and diverse TG.

For many brands, a mix of CTV (for quality) + Mobile (for scale) works best.

15. Will I get the detailed demographic profile of viewers?

No, you do not get individual-level demographic data of each viewer.

Platforms can share high-level audience summaries or compositions (e.g., % male/female, key cities, age brackets) depending on the package, but not personally identifiable audience profiles.

16. Is retargeting possible in live sports advertising?

In most live sports packages, retargeting is not available the way it is in standard performance campaigns.

Sports ad delivery is largely contextual and live-moment driven, not based on user retargeting pools.

17. I am a female-centric brand. Is cricket or sports the right environment for me?

Yes, it can be.

• While some tournaments skew more male, others (including certain cricket events, leagues and women’s matches) have balanced or growing female viewership.
• With digital targeting on CTV & mobile, you can focus your buys on female-heavy segments or relevant geos.

So, sports can work well for female-centric brands, as long as the tournament and targeting are chosen carefully.

18. There is too much ad clutter in sports. Does it still make sense to advertise?

Yes, because:

• Being seen among top national advertisers actually elevates your brand perception.
• Sports delivers very high-impact reach in a short window, which helps you stand out in consumers’ memory, even with clutter.
• The social conversation and word-of-mouth around big matches further amplify presence.

Clutter is real, but share of voice during sports still delivers strong brand value.

19. Can I run a brand lift survey during live sports campaigns?

Yes.

Most OTT platforms and measurement partners support brand lift studies during or immediately after live sports campaigns to measure:

• Ad recall
• Brand awareness
• Consideration / preference uplift

20. Can I use independent trackers like Seismic to track delivery?

Yes, in many cases.

Subject to platform compatibility and approvals, you can use independent tracking tools (e.g., Seismic or similar) to track:

• Impressions delivered
• Viewability (where supported)
• Basic campaign delivery metrics
  

21. What is better – going deep in one tournament or spreading presence across multiple tournaments?

It depends on budget and brand objective:

• Lower budgets (₹10–20L or ~2–3 matches)
  → Better to go deep in a single tournament and achieve a high Share of Voice (SOV).
• Higher budgets
  → More effective to spread proportionately across key matches and multiple tournaments to maximise overall reach and sustained presence.

22. Out of 750M sports viewers, what % of TV and CTV audiences are unique vs overlapping with OTT mobile?

Exact overlap is hard to pin down, but broadly:

• Linear TV (LTV / Star Sports) unique reach: ~280M
• Mobile OTT unique reach: ~340M
• CTV unique reach: ~130M

There will be intersections between these, but these numbers show that each screen type brings its own incremental unique audience.

23. The viewership shown on screen – is it concurrent or cumulative? Is it devices or audience count?

On platforms like JioCinema / Star:

• The on-screen number shown is usually cumulative reach across Mobile + CTV.
• Concurrent and unique audience metrics are derived from:
  • Average session time
  • Number of devices
  • Platform-specific formulas / deduplication.

So, the number you see live is generally cumulative, not just current concurrent viewers.

24. How do you recommend the right ad assets (branded cards, fence, mid-roll, etc.) for a client?

We always start with the objective:

• For storytelling & awareness
  → Use video assets like pre-rolls / mid-rolls to explain the brand and build memory.
• For brand consideration & call-to-action
  → Use static or semi-static assets like branded cards, squeeze-ups, fences, scorecards, which keep your logo and message visible alongside the match.

A combination of video + static often works best.

25. How do I know if my live sports campaign performed well?

We evaluate impact using:

• Brand Lift Studies (awareness, recall, consideration uplift)
• Google / search trends for brand keywords during and post-campaign
• Organic traffic and direct visits spikes
• Word of Mouth / dipstick checks with key stakeholders, customers or partners

A mix of quantitative (data) and qualitative (feedback) signals gives a full picture.

27. I have a budget of ₹1Cr. Should I pick 3–4 main India matches or spread across the full tournament?

It’s again objective and brand-stage driven:

• For maximum impact and buzz
  → Focus on 3–4 marquee India matches (e.g., big rivals, weekends, knockouts).
• For sustained reach and frequency
  → Use the same ₹1Cr across the full tournament, ensuring your brand is seen consistently across more matches.

New brands usually prefer high-impact India matches; established brands often prefer sustained presence.

28. How do I choose between on-screen media properties and on-ground properties for a ₹2Cr budget?

Both have distinct roles:

• On-ground (stadium branding, perimeter boards, dugout, etc.)
  • Great for top-of-mind recall and logo salience.
  • Strong association with the venue and event.
    
• On-screen (OTT / TV ad spots, branded graphics)
  • Allows storytelling, creative messaging and reasons to believe.
  • Better for explaining offers, features, and CTAs.

Your choice depends on the primary objective – logo presence vs storytelling, or a balanced mix of both.

29. Do brands at different lifecycle stages need different sports strategies even with similar budgets?

Yes.

• New / challenger brands
  • Need sharper focus: specific markets/TG, and mostly mobile / CTV with tight targeting.
  • Aim for high impact in fewer, priority markets.
    
• Established brands with new messaging / relaunch
  • Should aim for sustained reach and frequency using a mix of video + static across more matches and broader audiences.

Same budget, different strategy based on brand maturity.

30. If a match I’ve booked gets washed out, what happens to my unutilised impressions?

If a match is washed out or severely affected by rain:

• The unutilised impressions are carried forward to:
  • Replacement matches, or
  • The next available match dates
    in line with the platform’s policy.

Your committed impressions are honoured across other matches.

31. How does sports advertising strategy differ for B2C vs B2B brands?

• B2C brands
  • Focus on mass reach, emotion, and top-of-mind recall.
  • Broader targeting, more consumer-focused messaging.
    
• B2B brands
  • Focus on key stakeholders, decision-makers and gatekeepers.
  • Use targeting filters (CTV, specific cities, premium audiences) and contextual messaging to build trust and credibility.

32. Is it a good strategy for a D2C brand to advertise on linear TV (LTV)?

Same media, but different creative and targeting logic.

For most D2C brands, a digital-first strategy works better:

• D2C models are usually online-heavy or omnichannel, where CTV + Mobile OTT gives better:
  • Targeting
  • Measurability
  • Audience fit

So instead of classic LTV alone, we recommend a Digital-first sports plan (CTV + Mobile OTT) for D2C brands.

33. Why do brands advertise on Test Cricket matches?

Test cricket appeals to a more serious, mature cricket audience:

• TG is usually ~80% male and often more affluent / older.
• Works very well for B2B brands, financial services, automotive, and mass brands that want sustained reach over multiple days.
• You can also own the Highlights section, which continues to drive views after live action.

It’s less “instant-buzz” than T20, but strong for depth and quality of engagement.

35. How does T20 World Cup reach compare with IPL or other big events?

The T20 World Cup (especially when India are defending champions and hosts) is estimated to reach ~700–750M+ viewers, which is:

• Higher than a single IPL season
• Also above many other standalone sporting events, including some earlier World Cups

For brands, this means unprecedented reach and buzz in a compact window.

36. How does the viewership of India matches compare to non-India matches?

Typically:

• India matches deliver ~50% more reach compared to non-India matches.
• They also have higher engagement, conversation and social buzz.

So, if budget is limited, prioritising India games gives better visibility per rupee.

37. If a brand wants to pick only 2–3 matches, how do you decide which ones?

With just 2–3 matches, we usually:

• Prioritise India matches
• Prefer weekend and prime-time fixtures
• Include high-stakes games: knockouts, big rivalries, or opening/closing games

This ensures your limited budget is used on maximum-viewership, maximum-buzz matches.

38. We have a limited budget but want to be visible during matches. What do you suggest?

For limited budgets:

• Focus on fewer matches but deeper presence in those (not thin spread).
• Prioritise either Mobile OTT or CTV, not both with very small budgets.
• Use sharp targeting (geo, income, device, TG) to maximise relevant reach.

In short: “Be sharp, not shallow” with limited money.

39. Our TG is high-income. With a ₹50L budget, should we choose CTV, LTV or Mobile?

For high-income target audiences with ₹50L:

• Allocate ~70% to CTV (for premium households and large screens).
• Allocate ~30% to Mobile OTT with targeting filters on:
  • Geography
  • Income proxies (premium devices, cities etc.)

This gives a good mix of premium impact (CTV) and incremental reach (Mobile).

40. For a limited budget, which is more visible – pre-roll or mid-roll ads?

Both are useful but slightly different:

• Pre-roll ads
  • Appear before the content starts.
  • Great for launches and first impressions, when attention is very high.
    
• Mid-roll ads
  • Appear during live action breaks.
  • Very good for brand visibility and recall over the course of the match.

With a limited budget, many brands prefer pre-roll for that strong first impact, and then add mid-roll as budget scales.

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