AI Firms Score Big in Cricket Sponsorships, But RMG Void Remains

• Google's Gemini signs a three-year, ₹270 crore sponsorship deal with BCCI for IPL (2026–2028 seasons), becoming a principal commercial partner.
• OpenAI's ChatGPT secured a two-year, ₹16 crore sponsorship with the Women's Premier League (WPL), marking an early generative AI entry into Indian cricket.
• AI brands aim for mass visibility and cultural relevance, leveraging cricket's unparalleled reach to over 500 million users across demographics.
• Industry experts note that AI sponsorships, while significant, do not fully replace the financial heft of real-money gaming (RMG) companies, which spent over ₹4,000 crore on advertising.
• Unlike RMG's incentive-driven engagement, AI brands focus on brand positioning and long-term ecosystem engagement, not immediate transactional behavior.

Why It Matters: AI firms are investing heavily in cricket sponsorships for brand building, but the financial gap left by RMG remains.