Shah Rukh Khan was the most visible celebrity on Indian television advertising during January–September 2026, clocking an average of 26 hours of ad visibility per day across channels, according to TAM AdEx’s Celebrity Endorsement Report. That put him ahead of MS Dhoni at 22 hours, while Akshay Kumar led the separate brand-association table with 35 brands.
Who topped TV visibility
The visibility leaderboard was top-heavy. After Shah Rukh and Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah came third with seven hours of daily visibility. Ananya Panday, Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Sharma followed at six hours each. Amitabh Bachchan, Shreya Chaudhry, Kiara Advani and Rohit Sharma recorded five hours.
Compared with the same period in 2025, five names were new to the top ten: Bumrah, Sharma, Chaudhry, Advani and Rohit. The list comprised seven male and three female celebrities.
Brand count tells a different story
Akshay Kumar’s 35 brand associations were the highest, up sharply from 21 a year earlier. Dhoni followed with 33, down from 54, and Shah Rukh was at 29, down from 38. Amitabh Bachchan had 27, and Ranbir Kapoor had 26.
The report also flagged Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as the most endorsed celebrity couple with 37 associations and a 19% share, followed by Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan at 27 brands and 11%.
Categories and gender split
Food & Beverages was the largest sector for celebrity ads at 25% of ad volumes, followed by Personal Care/Personal Hygiene at 18% and Household Products at 9%. At the category level, Toilet/Floor Cleaners led with 8%, then Toilet Soaps at 7% and Aerated Soft Drinks at 6%.
Across sectors, male celebrities dominated with an average 69:31 ratio in the top ten. But Personal Care/Personal Hygiene reversed the pattern: 61% of endorsers were female.
Why this matters for marketers
The star power remains, but the overall index of celebrity-endorsed TV advertising fell from 100 in January–September 2025 to 83 in January–September 2026. Celebrity ads still accounted for 25% of TV ad duration, but volume of celebrity-led commercials dropped 17% year-on-year.
For marketers, the numbers suggest a maturing, more selective celebrity market. The IPL effect was visible: April–June contributed 38.8% of celebrity ad volumes, with May’s monthly share at 15%. July was the softest month at 8%.
A practical planning lens:
- Treat celebrity TV visibility as reach, not conversion; pair it with non-celebrity performance creative.
- Book celebrity-led TV pushes around April–June, when ad volume and attention spike.
- Audit the gender mix; categories such as personal care still lean female, while food and beverages remain male-heavy.
The data covers television only, excludes South Indian film and TV stars, and does not include social media or promotional spots, so treat it as the TV slice of a wider celebrity market.
Source: MediaNews4U
