TV ad volumes surge in Jan-Feb 2021

TV channels in the film and music genre saw a bigger spike in ad volumes at 25% and 24% respectively. The ad volumes of general entertainment channels grew by 21% and those of the news genre by 18% in the first two months of 2021 over the same period in 2020.

“Continuing the momentum built in the second half of 2020, TV ad volumes have had the most promising start with January and February levels of 2021 being the highest ever in five years. A lot of categories and key non-fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands also seem to have increased their presence on TV during this period, which augurs well for the medium," said Aaditya Pathak, head, client partnership and revenue function, Barc India.

Brands such as Whitehat Jr, Harpic Power Plus, and Vaseline Intensive Care, were the new entrants in TV advertising during this period, according to Barc with Lizol, Dettol, and Harpic emerging as the most advertised brands. At the same time, the current period saw e-commerce advertising grow by 21% year-on-year with other categories such as retail and building, industry, and land materials also increasing spends this year from 2020. The FMCG category has also seen a 36% growth in ad volumes in 2021 compared to 2020.

The top 10 advertisers drove TV ad volumes with 45% contribution and 35% growth, while the next 40 advertisers garnered 25% growth in the Januar-February period this year, Barc said.

According to older Barc estimates, overall viewership on television surged 18% during peak lockdown, finishing though 9% higher in 2020 than 2019. With people locked up at home and spreading their TV viewing through the day, non-prime time hours emerged as the new prime-time for the small screen through 2020, Barc had said.

While admitting recovery in advertising has been good overall, Ashish Bhasin, chief executive officer, Asia-Pacific and chairman India, Dentsu had pointed out in an earlier interview that volume is not directly correlated with value and that pricing has been impacted with several discounts coming into play.

“During the pandemic, TV has expanded its role from an entertainer to a constant companion and a trusted family member. We see the habit of television viewing growing stronger among the entire family as a unit, even in the new normal," Prathyusha Agarwal, chief consumer officer, ZEE said. It is not a TV ‘or’ digital scenario, but a TV ‘and’ digital world with each playing a distinct role and growing disproportionately compared to other media vehicles, Agarwal said.