Virat Kohli tops celebrity rankings with a brand value of $227.9 million

Cricketer Virat Kohli has reclaimed the top position in brand value, now reaching $227.9 million, surpassing Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who holds the second spot with $203.1 million, according to Kroll’s ‘Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023: Brands, Business, Bollywood’.

The report ranks India’s most influential celebrity brands by assessing their brand values derived from endorsements and social media presence.

The combined brand value of the top 25 Indian celebrities reached $1.9 billion in 2023, marking an 18 per cent increase from the previous year, the report showed.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has claimed the third position with a brand value of $120.7 million, due to the success of three blockbuster hits in 2023, marking his comeback among India’s top five celebrity endorsers since 2020.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar has slipped to fourth place this year with a brand value of $111.7 million, and Alia Bhatt has moved up to fifth place with a brand value of $101.1 million.

Noteworthy shifts include Kiara Advani’s significant rise in brand value, advancing from 16th to 12th place, and Katrina Kaif rejoining the list of top celebrity brands after a five-year absence.

Aviral Jain, managing director, valuation advisory services at Kroll, said, “The theme of the 2023 study is ‘brands, business, Bollywood’, which recognises the expansion of celebrity-owned startups across various industries and the spectacular rise of Indian celebrities as global ambassadors of reputed global brands.

The year 2023 also witnessed Bollywood’s powerful comeback to the film industry, with blockbusters such as Gadar 2, Pathaan, and Animal breaking records to cross the $100 million mark — re-establishing Bollywood’s dominance in the film industry.”

Digital platform advertisements

The top-three brands with the most digital platform advertisements are Pepsi, endorsed by Ranveer Singh; Livspace, endorsed by Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli; and JioCinema, endorsed by Alia Bhatt, MS Dhoni, and Sachin Tendulkar, the report said.

It further showed that Indian celebrities have expanded their international footprint by becoming global brand ambassadors for esteemed names such as Gucci, Qatar Airways, and Jimmy Choo.

“The market size of the digital media segment is expected to reach $10.3 billion in 2025 from $6.8 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 14.7 per cent over 2022–2025," the report stated.