Indian brands move beyond 30-second ads as IPL dominates and ISL struggles for commercial depth

NDTV Profit's The Hook explores how Indian brands are pivoting from traditional sports advertising to AR experiences, AI-driven merchandise and fan communities. IPL remains the gravitational center for sponsor spend, while football properties like ISL find it harder to convert fan passion into durable commercial returns.

— Source publishedWed, 17 Jun, 2026, 13:13 IST·First seen Wed, 17 Jun, 2026, 13:22 IST·Source NDTV Profit

What happened

Indian Super League · NDTV Profit's The Hook examines how brands in India are shifting from traditional sports ads to AR, AI-driven merchandise and fan

Key facts

  • 30-second

Why this matters

Scan for bolt-on targets in fan-community SaaS, AR activation studios and D2C sports merch supply chains that can plug into existing IPL-anchored sponsorship portfolios.