Women’s cricket now attracts mainstream & premium brands: JioStar’s Anup Govindan

After the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in the summer, brands are once again rallying behind women’s cricket — this time on the global stage with the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup 2025. Kicking off on September 30 and running through November 2, the tournament’s overlap with India’s festive season has made it an attractive advertising playground.

The brands that have come on board include Google Gemini, Google Pay, Google Android, Google Pixel, Rexona, the State Bank of India (SBI), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI). 

For JioStar, which holds the rights for both the WPL and ICC events, the World Cup is more than a marquee tournament—it’s a powerful platform to expand audiences and deepen brand partnerships.

At the recently concluded FICCI Frames 2025, Ishan Chatterjee, CEO – Sports, JioStar, reiterated the importance of women's cricket for the network. “WPL is one of the biggest priorities for us to ensure growth in women’s cricket,” he said.

In an email interview with afaqs!, Anup Govindan, chief revenue officer of Sports at JioStar, says the network is expecting this tournament to set new benchmarks for both viewership and monetisation in women’s sports. 

He says women’s cricket has evolved from being a niche property into a mainstream, national conversation. “…men form a significant part of the audience, accounting for 55% of viewers during the WPL and 57% during the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup on linear TV.”

He also talks about what makes women’s cricket the fastest-growing property in Indian sports and how the overlap with the festive period has boosted advertiser interest.

Edited excerpts: 

What are your expectations from the ongoing Women's World Cup?

We are expecting the ongoing Women’s World Cup to deliver record-breaking engagement, both in terms of reach and depth of viewing. The growing fanbase for women’s cricket in India, combined with the tailwinds from the Women’s Premier League, has created a strong foundation.

Early indicators suggest that this edition could see a major uplift in viewership over the previous cycle. While we won't comment on revenue numbers, we are witnessing robust advertiser interest, with women’s cricket now drawing in mainstream and premium categories alike.

Overall, the expectation is that this tournament will set new benchmarks for both viewership and monetisation in women’s sports. 

This World Cup is coinciding with the festive season. How much has that contributed to the boost in ad sales?

The timing couldn’t be better. The overlap of the Women’s World Cup with the festive period has created a perfect storm of consumer sentiment and brand activity. Festive spends are always high, and advertisers are keen to ride the wave of positivity and celebration.

Women’s cricket, with its feel-good energy and growing popularity, has become an ideal platform for brands to make high-impact festive connections. As a result, we have seen ad sales rise sharply, with many brands opting for larger integrations and premium inventory around key matches.

JioStar is betting big on women's cricket. What makes it look so promising today?

Women’s cricket today represents the fastest-growing property in Indian sport. The combination of high-quality competition, rising star power, and a fanbase that’s increasingly gender-agnostic makes it incredibly promising.

From a broadcaster’s perspective, it offers family-inclusive, positive, and progressive content, which strongly resonates with today’s audiences and brands. WPL’s success proved that there’s a sustainable appetite for women’s cricket, not just as an occasional event, but as a serious sporting spectacle.

Earlier, very few brands would show interest in women's cricket. What has led to the surge in interest?

The shift has come from both performance and perception. Indian women cricketers are now household names, delivering world-class performances and inspiring a new generation. That visibility, amplified by strong storytelling and prime-time broadcast slots, has made the sport far more attractive for advertisers.

In addition, brands are consciously seeking inclusive narratives and progressive associations. Women’s cricket provides that; it’s powerful, aspirational, and emotionally rich, aligning beautifully with brand values around empowerment, achievement, and equality.

Are there categories beyond those that are women-centric associating with women's cricket? If so, what are the reasons behind this? Additionally, are men also tuning in to watch women's cricket?

Women’s cricket has evolved from being a niche property into a mainstream, national conversation. The fan base includes men, women, and families alike, making it a progressive and inclusive mix for brands to engage with modern consumers.

Notably, men form a significant part of the audience, accounting for 55% of viewers during the WPL and 57% during the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup on linear TV.

Brands are recognising the immense reach and emotional connection that women's cricket offers. The diverse backgrounds of players, from small towns to metro cities, make women’s cricket a powerful storytelling medium that reflects the spirit of real, emerging India across categories.

OTT versus television: how are the audiences for women's cricket different?

OTT tends to attract a younger, more urban, and digitally savvy audience that prefers personalised, on-the-go viewing experiences. Television, on the other hand, continues to deliver mass reach across geographies, including rural areas, making it indispensable for scale.

Interestingly, we are seeing strong dual-platform consumption across TV and OTT. For advertisers, this convergence offers both reach and depth: television for top-of-funnel impact and OTT for targeted engagement.