TV ad decline moderates to 6% as Reckitt leads rankings

Television advertising volumes in India declined 6% in January–September 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to TAM AdEx. That is still a contraction, but it is a clear moderation from the 10% drop recorded in the year-ago period. For brand leaders, the trend line matters more than the headline: TV is shrinking more slowly, not recovering.

The report tracks commercial advertising across more than 600 channels, measured in secondages. That means these are activity volumes—not rupee spends—so they should be read as directional signals for television demand.

01 · Reckitt Benckiser takes the top slot

Reckitt Benckiser (India) became the leading television advertiser, overtaking Hindustan Unilever, which topped the list a year ago. Godrej Consumer Products stayed third, followed by Cadbury India and Nestlé India. Coca-Cola India, P&G, Britannia, Google and Wipro Enterprises also made the top 10.

The concentration at the top is significant: the top 10 advertisers accounted for 42% of all TV ad volumes. Seven of those top 10 were also in the list a year earlier, indicating continuity even as leadership changed. In all, TAM AdEx tracked more than 5,800 advertisers in the period, down from over 6,100 last year.

02 · Where ad demand is holding

Food and beverages remained the largest advertising sector on TV with 21% of volumes. Services moved up to second at 16%, while personal care and personal hygiene slipped to third at 14%. Household products (10%) and personal healthcare (7%) followed, and the top 10 sectors together commanded 87% of TV advertising.

On the channel side, general entertainment channels raised their share to 31%, news held at 25%, and movies stayed at 22%. GECs and news together accounted for 56% of TV ad volumes—mass-reach genres remain the backbone of TV plans.

Some categories cut against the overall decline:

• E-commerce-other services grew 10.1 times in ad volumes.
• Biscuits climbed from 20th to sixth among categories, growing 74%.
• Chocolates grew 40%, and more than 160 categories recorded positive growth.

03 · What this means for CMOs

Reckitt’s dominance also shows at brand level: seven of the top 10 TV brands belonged to the company, led by Harpic Power Plus 10x Total Clean, Dettol Toilet Soaps and Dettol Antiseptic Liquid. That signals a deliberate, high-frequency household-and-hygiene TV strategy.

For marketing teams, the report offers two practical reads. First, TV is still concentrated: the top 10 brands took 12% of all TV ad volumes, so challenger brands need either heavy investment or smarter category timing. Second, the fastest-growing categories—e-commerce services, biscuits, chocolates—are not the traditional FMCG giants. That is where TV demand is shifting.

Rather than treating the 6% decline as TV’s end, CMOs can use the category and genre shifts to refine reach plans. The moderation in the decline suggests the floor may be near; the growth pockets show where advertisers are still willing to fight for attention.

Source: Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.