Decrease of 10% in TV advertisement volumes during the first half of 2025 due to advertisers reconsidering their spending budgets
Headline: FMCG Sectors Maintain Dominance in Television Advertising, Despite Decrease in Ad Volumes
In the first half of Calendar 2025, the food and beverage sector led television ad volumes with a 22% share, followed by personal care and personal hygiene with a 16% share. According to a report published by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research, this period saw a 10% decrease in television ad volumes compared to the same period last year, indicating a phase of strategic recalibration in advertising spend.
The report further reveals that over 6,600 brands were advertised on television during this period. Among the top ten categories by ad volume, food and beverages, personal care and personal hygiene, services, household products, personal healthcare, laundry, hair care, building, industrial and land materials/equipments, auto, and banking/finance/investment were the leading sectors. These categories cumulatively contributed 33% to ad volumes in the January-June 2025 period.
Within product categories, toilet soaps led ad volumes, followed by toilet/floor cleaners, washing powders/liquids, e-commerce (media/entertainment/social media), and aerated soft drinks.
The top ten advertisers with the highest television ad volumes in H1 2025 were Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Reckitt Benckiser India, Godrej Group, Coca Cola India, Procter & Gamble, Cadburys India, Glaxosmithkline Group, Pepsi Foods, Nestle India, and Tata (G). These top advertisers accounted for 47% of total TV ad volumes during this period.
General Entertainment Channels led by genre in ad volume share (31%), followed by news (28%) and movies (22%). The analysis by AdEx India focuses on commercial breaks in terms of secondages for TV.
The reduction in television ad volumes is attributed to a phase of strategic recalibration in advertiser spending. Despite this, FMCG players dominated ad volumes during the first half of Calendar 2025. The period was marked by continued urban sluggishness in demand and volatility in geopolitical conditions.
This report provides insights into the shifting trends in television advertising and the strategies adopted by advertisers in the current market scenario.
- In the analysis of shifting trends in television advertising, it was found that despite a 10% decrease in ad volumes, FMCG sectors maintained dominance, contributing 33% to ad volumes in the first half of 2025.
- The report revealed that businesses in sectors like food and beverages, personal care and personal hygiene, services, household products, personal healthcare, laundry, hair care, building, industrial and land materials/equipment, auto, and banking/finance/investment were the leading advertisers on television.
- To cater to the ongoing economic volatility, many businesses opted for a strategic recalibration in their advertising spend, thus leading to a decrease in overall ad volumes.
- The top brands in finance, specifically Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Reckitt Benckiser India, Godrej Group, and Nestle India, were among the top ten advertisers in terms of television ad volumes during the first half of Calendar 2025. This urban sluggishness in demand and volatility in geopolitical conditions didn't deter the dominance of these sectors in television advertising.
