The case of Ed Tech sector’s steep fall in IPL advertising

Facing severe economic challenges, shifting market dynamics and funds crunch, the Ed Tech sector has been drastically cutting down on its advertising spends. Among the leading ad spenders at the Indian Premier League around two years ago, the Ed Tech sector has had almost nil presence in the tournament in 2023 and now in 2024 as well.

As per TAM Sports data, in IPL Season 15 (2022), the Ed Tech sector advertised for more than 40+ hours across all the channels on which IPL 15 was telecast, contributing 6% of the overall advertising share of IPL 15.

Based on average ad volumes per match during different stages of IPL 15, Ed Tech advertising grew by 32% during eliminator matches stage and grew by 54% during the IPL Finals, compared to the league matches stage.

Listing the Top Advertisers under Ed Tech category during IPL 15, TAM Sports report reveals that Think & Learn (Byjus) led the list with a 64% share, followed by Vedantu Innovations (Vedantu.Com) with a 22% share and Great Lakes E-Learning Services (Great Learning) with a 14% share.

Not just the IPL, the Ed Tech sector has slashed its overall ad spends as the sector faces severe financial losses. In the hey days, Ed Tech brands had massive ad budgets, roping in Bollywood and cricket A-listers as brand endorsers and mounting lavish ad campaigns. A case in point is Byju’s, which had ad spends of Rs 4,135 crore in FY2022, up a whopping 84% from Rs 2,250 crore in FY2021, as per media reports. Today, the beleaguered ed tech company is struggling to pay salaries to its staff.

Market observers call it “course correction” after an over-inflated period, with the Ed Tech sector now reaching realistic growth levels.

Amid this massive slide, it is the advertising ecosystem that has lost out on a lucrative sector.