Mumbai: Celebrity-endorsed advertising volumes on television during IPL 19 grew 34% from the previous season, accounting for 61% of the total ad volumes, according to a TAM Sports report released on Wednesday.The increase came during a season in which advertiser participation in the IPL declined even as overall advertising volumes remained elevated.A separate TAM Sports analysis of IPL 19 last week showed that while the number of advertisers, brands and categories participating in the tournament fell from the previous season, average ad volume per channel per match increased by more than 4%.The IPL remains India's largest sports marketing platform, attracting up to $1 billion in annual brand investments across media advertising, sponsorships and activations, say industry experts. According to advertising and marketing group WPP, India's sports advertising market was valued at nearly $2 billion in 2025, with cricket accounting for around 90% of the total spending.According to TAM, the ratio of celebrity-endorsed advertisements to non-celebrity advertisements increased to 61:39 during IPL 19 from 53:47 in IPL 18."The 34% growth in the use of celebrities in advertising during this IPL is primarily driven by a tactical approach to make brand messages stand out from the clutter, enable easy brand recognition against competitors within the category, and provide a simple personification of the brand's values through celebrities,” said TAM Media chief executive LV Krishnan. “Ultimately, it is all about creating impact.”Film stars accounted for 77% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes during IPL 19, while sports personalities contributed 22% and television actors 1%, according to the report.The celebrity pool also expanded during the season. More than 70 celebrities featured in IPL advertising compared with over 60 during IPL 18. The number of sports celebrities increased to more than 30 from over 20.Among individual endorsers, Shah Rukh Khan emerged as the most visible celebrity, accounting for 10% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes. Ishaan Khatter followed with a 9% share, while Ajay Devgn, Amyra Dastur and Tiger Shroff accounted for 7% each. Shah Rukh Khan had also topped the celebrity rankings during IPL 18, when he accounted for 8% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes.Among sports personalities, Rohit Sharma emerged as the most visible celebrity endorser, accounting for 22.1% of sports celebrity ad volumes during IPL 19. Hardik Pandya followed with a 16% share, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma accounted for 5.1% each. Virat Kohli contributed 5%.MS Dhoni had topped the rankings in IPL 18 with a 17.3% share of sports celebrity ad volumes, followed by Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mohammed Siraj."Celebrity partnerships today are most effective when they go beyond visibility and bring a unique creative perspective to the brand," said Lakshmi Narayanan B, chief marketing officer at tyre maker Ceat."In our campaign, we collaborated with Zoya Akhtar not just for her stature but for her ability to tell nuanced, human stories. Her interpretation of our 'Control' philosophy helped transform a functional product message into a culturally relevant narrative, creating stronger audience engagement and brand recall. This is why brands continue to invest in credible talent that can elevate storytelling and deepen consumer connection," he added.TAM's analysis showed that celebrity advertising remained concentrated among a relatively small group of marketers. The top five categories accounted for 71% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes, while the top five advertisers contributed 68%.The leading categories included mouth fresheners, ecommerce services, paints, corporate financial institutions and air-conditioners.Vishnu Packaging, Google, Havells India, Grasim Industries and Reliance Consumer Products were among the top advertisers using celebrity endorsements during the tournament.