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Over 80% ads streamed during ICC World Cup 2023 on OTT platforms promote unhealthy products: Study

The study identified children as especially vulnerable targets, with edible products commonly consumed by them comprising the highest frequency of unhealthy advertisements during cricket breaks.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 1, 2025 06:53 AM IST

Products included chocolates, potato chips, noodles, and biscuits – all heavily marketed during peak viewing times. (Photo: Pixabay)

A study by the ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR-NICPR) has revealed alarming statistics about the promotion of unhealthy products during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (Nov 2023). The research, published recently in Frontiers in Digital Health, found 80.9% of all advertisements aired on over-the-top (OTT) platforms during the tournament promoted tobacco, alcohol, and high-fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) products.

Dr Prashant Kumar Singh, lead author and senior scientist at ICMR-NICPR, told The Indian Express that the study provides the first systematic evidence from a low and middle-income country showing how sporting events have become vehicles for promoting products that contribute to non-communicable diseases.

The research was conducted by a team of experts from ICMR-NICPR, vital strategies, Institute of Public Health Bengaluru, and AIIMS New Delhi. Five trained researchers independently recorded data for cross-verification to ensure rigor and reduce biases.

“As India aims to reduce premature NCD deaths by 25 per cent by 2025, we cannot allow commercial interests to undermine public health through unregulated digital platforms. Immediate policy intervention is crucial,” Dr Shalini Singh, senior author and director of ICMR-NICPR said. She also also stressed that their findings revealed a concerning loophole in digital advertising regulation. “While we have strict laws against tobacco and alcohol advertising, companies are exploiting OTT platforms through surrogate advertisements, particularly targeting the massive Indian cricket audience. With 422 million viewers exposed to these promotions, this represents a public health crisis hiding in plain sight.”

Key findings

The analysis of 341 hours of streaming across 48 matches revealed disturbing patterns of targeted marketing: 80.9% of all advertisements (1,769 out of 2,118) promoted unhealthy products,90.7% of advertisements during India matches belonged to the unhealthy products category, 86.7% of surrogate tobacco advertisements were specifically aired during matches involving the Indian team, 60.6% of unhealthy advertisements during over-breaks targeted products commonly consumed by children, 422 million viewers in India were exposed to these promotions, Celebrity endorsements were common, with 17.5% featuring Bollywood actors and 17% featuring cricket celebrities.

Children particularly vulnerable

The study identified children as especially vulnerable targets, with edible products commonly consumed by them comprising the highest frequency of unhealthy advertisements during cricket breaks. Products included chocolates, potato chips, noodles, and biscuits – all heavily marketed during peak viewing times.

Despite existing laws such as the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 and Cable Television Network Regulation Act 1995 that prohibit direct tobacco and alcohol advertising, the study revealed that companies successfully circumvent these restrictions through surrogate advertising on digital platforms. “The research showed a stark disparity in advertising patterns – surrogate tobacco advertisements were predominantly displayed during India matches (86.7%) while being negligible during other countries’ matches, indicating targeted marketing strategies,” Dr Singh said.

Urgent policy recommendations

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Researchers have called for immediate action, updated regulatory frameworks to encompass digital and OTT platforms, stricter enforcement mechanisms for surrogate advertising, specific protections for children given their vulnerability to advertisement-induced behaviours, comprehensive monitoring of OTT platforms with clear consequences for non-compliance.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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