Television advertising in India’s news genre is still contracting, but at a visibly slower pace. Ad volumes in January-July 2026 were down 7 percent against the same period in 2025, according to the latest TAM AdEx data. That compares with a steeper 15 percent drop recorded in January-July 2025 over 2024.
The decline is easing, not deepening
The headline number is negative, but the direction is worth noting. A 7 percent fall is less than half the previous year’s drop, suggesting the genre stabilised even as advertisers reshuffle budgets. More than 5,100 brands still used television news during the period. The top 10 advertisers alone accounted for one-fifth of all ad volumes.
Where the ad money sits
Food and beverages held the largest share at 14 percent, followed by services at 13 percent and education at 10 percent. Building, industrial and land materials took 8 percent, while banking, finance and investment and automobiles each contributed 7 percent. The top 10 sectors together accounted for 81 percent of advertising volumes, so the genre remains fairly concentrated.
Among subgenres, Hindi news led with 18 percent of ad volumes. Bengali news contributed 12 percent, Hindi regional and Tamil news 10 percent each, and Telugu news 9 percent. The top five news subgenres together accounted for 59 percent.
Growth is hiding inside the decline
While overall volumes fell, several categories expanded sharply. The fastest movers in the period included:
- Sanitary napkins: 5.5 times higher
- Solar products: 3.6 times higher
- E-commerce other services: 2.6 times higher
- Edible oil: +35 percent
- Two-wheelers: +33 percent
- Spices and life insurance: +30 percent each
- Multiple courses: +19 percent
- Vocational training institutes: +14 percent
TAM AdEx also noted that more than 145 categories registered positive growth during the period.
The leaderboard changed quietly
Reckitt Benckiser (India) stayed at number one among advertisers, followed by Patanjali Ayurved. Amul climbed from fifth to third, and LIC of India moved from eighth to fifth. Policybazaar entered the list ahead of last year, while TVS Motor and Mahashiya Di Hatti were new entrants in the top 10. On the brand list, Policybazaar.com ranked first, followed by Lalithaa Jewellery and Harpic Power Plus 10x Total Clean.
One striking name in the top 10 brands was ChatGPT, a signal that AI-led brands are now buying TV news inventory. Three of the top 10 brands belonged to Reckitt.
What it means for marketers
The data doesn’t say news is abandoned; it says the mix is shifting. Categories such as spices, two-wheelers and life insurance are leaning into news, while regional-language news still delivers sizable reach. For planners, the useful move is to track category-level secondages rather than relying on the overall headline. A decline of 7 percent masks several pockets of growth.
The softer fall also matters because it shows news has not fallen off a cliff after 2025. Marketers with regional or mass-market brands can test news placements in Hindi, Bengali or Tamil while the inventory remains comparatively affordable. The real takeaway is not that TV news is down, but that growth is becoming category-specific and language-specific.
Source: ETBrandEquity.com
