Shah Rukh Khan remained the most visible face in Indian television advertising during January-September 2026, even as the celebrity-led ad market cooled, according to TAM AdEx’s Celebrity Endorsement Report.
Khan accounted for 10% of celebrity-endorsed TV ad volumes, ahead of former India cricket captain M S Dhoni at 8%. Cricketer Jasprit Bumrah followed at 3%, while Ananya Panday, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and others were around 2% each.
The volume story is getting tighter
Celebrity-led commercials still made up 25% of total TV ad volumes in the period. But the total volume of those ads fell 17% compared with January-September 2025, with the TAM AdEx index dropping from 100 to 83.
That doesn’t mean celebrities have lost the screen. Film stars contributed 65% of celebrity-led volumes, sports personalities 28%, and TV actors 8%. Male film actors alone accounted for 38%, ahead of sports personalities at 28% and female film actors at 27%.
Where the money is moving
Food and beverages was the largest sector for celebrity endorsements with a 25% share. Personal care and personal hygiene followed at 18%, household products at 9%, and personal healthcare at 8%. The top three sectors together controlled 52% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes.
At category level, toilet and floor cleaners led with 8% of celebrity ad volumes. Paints had the most celebrity endorsers at 36, followed by building materials and systems at 31 and retail outlets and jewellers at 28.
Visibility isn’t the same as brand count
The report also separated visibility from brand associations. Akshay Kumar led with 54 brand associations, up from 21 a year earlier. M S Dhoni had 33, down from 35. Shah Rukh Khan endorsed 29 brands, down from 38, while Amitabh Bachchan’s tally slipped to 27 from 34.
- Akshay Kumar: 54 brand associations, up from 21
- Sachin Tendulkar: 24, up from 14
- Sourav Ganguly: 24, up from 15
- Pankaj Tripathi: 20, up from 13
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were the top celebrity couple, with a 19% share of couple-led endorsements and 37 brand associations.
For marketers, the shift matters because reach now has to be read alongside intent signals such as category fit and sustained brand partnerships. With celebrity inventory declining in volume but remaining heavily concentrated in a few sectors, brands should audit whether their ambassador mix still reflects their category’s demand pattern.
Source: ETBrandEquity.com
