TV ad volume in 2024 drops 4% from 2023: TAM AdEx

Television advertising in 2024 had a mixed performance, with ad volumes declining by 4% compared to 2023, despite being a historically efficient medium. However, TV ad volumes in 2024 were 14% higher than in 2020, according to a TAM AdEx report.  

The report also noted a 6% growth in ad volumes in Q2 2024 compared to Q1, while Q4 saw a 6% decline from Q3.

TV advertising trends in 2024

Hindustan Unilever led TV advertising in 2024, accounting for 16% of total ad volumes. The top 10 advertisers collectively contributed 45% of ad volumes during the year.

Among the top 10 brands, five belonged to Reckitt Benckiser (India) and three to Hindustan Unilever. Harpic was the most advertised brand, followed by Dettol Toilet Soaps, JioCinema App, Lizol, Surf Excel, Santoor, and Close Up, which together made up 10% of total TV ad volumes.

The leading product categories in 2024 included toilet soaps, floor cleaners, washing powders, toothpaste, e-commerce/social media, milk beverages, shampoos, rubs and balms, chocolates, and biscuits.

More than 4,000 new advertisers entered the TV advertising space in 2024, including Velnik India, Canva, Express Broadcasting, Comfort Grid Technologies, Kirloskar Brothers, L N Gym, PhonePe Wealth Broking, Waterways Leisure Tourism, TravelXP India, and Reliance BP Mobility.

GEC remains the top channel genre

General Entertainment Channels (GEC) dominated TV ad volumes in both 2023 and 2024, maintaining a 30% share. This was followed by News (26%), Movies (21%), Music (11%), Kids (4%), and other genres (7%).

The top five channel genres collectively accounted for over 92% of TV ad volumes in both years.

Growth of co-branded advertising in 2024

Co-branded advertising has gained significant traction in recent years, with 2024 witnessing a 5% increase compared to 2023, according to the report.

"A brand and a movie collaborate to create marketing synergy, forming a mutually beneficial alliance. Television has seen various co-branding efforts that have fostered strong partnerships between brands and films," the report stated. TAM AdEx tracks co-branded ads in association with movies on television.

Spotify App emerged as the top brand associated with movies, accounting for 7% of co-branded ad volumes. Notably, brands linked to Pushpa 2 contributed 21% of the total co-branded ads in 2024.

Overall, more than 60 movies partnered with brands for co-branded advertising. The most notable collaborations included Fighter (13 brands), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (10 brands), Main Atal Hoon (8 brands), Maidaan (8 brands), Pushpa 2 (6 brands), Dunki (4 brands), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (4 brands), Mr & Mrs Mahi (4 brands), Chandu Champion (4 brands) and Srikanth (4 brands).