HUL tops TV advertising in 2025 as overall ad volumes decline

New Delhi: Television advertising volumes in India declined in 2025 compared to 2024, even as large FMCG advertisers continued to dominate the medium. Categories such as toilet soaps and floor cleaners remained among the biggest drivers of ad volumes on television.

According to the latest TAM AdEx report, TV ad volumes fell 11% year-on-year in 2025 versus 2024, measured on the basis of ad secondages. On an indexed basis (2024 being 100), 2025 stood at 89. The data covers commercial ads only and excludes promos and social ads. TAM AdEx said it monitors advertising across 600+ TV channels.

Quarterly trends in 2025 showed a mixed pattern. The report noted that the second quarter of 2025 recorded 6% growth over the first quarter, but advertising momentum weakened towards the end of the year, with Q4 volumes declining 10% compared to Q3.

Average ad volumes per channel per day (in seconds) were reported at 6,547 in Jan to Mar 2025, 6,918 in Apr to Jun 2025, 6,703 in Jul to Sep 2025, and 6,048 in Oct to Dec 2025.

Among advertisers, Hindustan Unilever retained the top position in 2025 with a 14% share of ad volumes. The top 10 advertisers together accounted for 44% share of total ad volumes. The report also noted that Coca-Cola India and Nestle India were the only new entrants to the top 10 advertisers list in 2025, ranked 6th and 9th, up from 12th and 15th positions in 2024, respectively.

On the brand list, Dettol Toilet Soaps led the top 10 brands in 2025. TAM highlighted that 7 out of the top 10 brands were from Reckitt Benckiser (India), and the top 10 brands together contributed 10% share of television ad volumes.

In terms of sector contribution, Food & Beverages led television advertising in 2025 with a 21% share of ad volumes, followed by Personal Care/Personal Hygiene with 15%, and Services with 14% share.

Other key sectors included Household Products (10%), Personal Healthcare (7%), Laundry (5%), Building, Industrial & Land Materials/Equipments (4%), Hair Care (4%), Auto (3%), and Banking/Finance/Investment (3%). TAM noted that the top 10 sectors together contributed 87% of total TV ad volumes during 2025.

At the category level, Toilet Soaps and Toilet/Floor Cleaners jointly led with 6% share each of ad volumes in 2025. Washing Powders/Liquids followed with 4% share.

Other categories in the top 10 included Ecom-Media/Ent./Social Media (3%), Chocolates (3%), and five categories with 2% share each: Milk Beverages, Ecom-Online Shopping, Retail Outlets–Jewellers, Tea, and Tooth Pastes. The report said the top 10 categories accounted for 32% of ad volumes in 2025. It also highlighted that Retail Outlets–Jewellers moved up to 9th position in 2025, from 16th in 2024.

The report tracked category-level growth as well, noting that 170+ categories registered positive growth in 2025 over 2024. Toilet/Floor Cleaners recorded the highest increase in ad secondages among categories, growing 13%.

In terms of percentage growth, Vocational Training Institute led with 2.5 times growth. Other categories that saw growth included Ecom-Online Shopping (24%), Aerated Soft Drink (15%), Retail Outlets–Jewellers (13%), Non Aerated Soft Drink (19%), Ecom-Financial Services (26%), Branded Jewellery (76%), Ecom-Matrimonials (35%), and Chocolates (5%).

In terms of channel genres, GEC remained the top genre with 30% share of ad volumes in both 2024 and 2025. In 2025, News followed with 26% share, while Movies accounted for 22%, Music for 10%, and Kids for 4%. TAM noted that the top five channel genres contributed more than 92% of total ad volumes in both 2024 and 2025.

The report also highlighted co-branded advertising linked to movies. It said TV carried 571 hours of co-branded ads in 2025, and noted that movies partnered with brands for 570+ hours of TV ads during the year.

Among brands associated with movies, Comfort Fabric Conditioner led with 23% share of co-branding ad volumes, followed by Cadbury Gems (18%) and Dr Ortho Strong Oil (8%). The report added that brands associated with Pushpa 2 contributed 23% of the total share of co-branded ads in 2025.