TV records all-time high ad volumes in October led by festive season

The festive season has spelled good news for the TV industry with October recording all-time high advertising volume.

The total ad volumes in October stood at 178 million seconds, highest for 2021. It is also 11 percent higher than October last year and 23 percent higher than October, 2019, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council India THINK report.

In October, 2019, TV had registered 144 million seconds of ad volumes whereas last year during the same period ad volumes were to the tune of 160 million seconds.

During the Dussehra week in 2021, TV witnessed 13 percent growth in ad volumes over the previous four weeks and 25 percent over 2019.

The number of advertisers and brands during the Dussehra week was the highest as compared to previous years.

During Dussehra week in 2019, which was the period between October 2-8, the number of advertisers was 2,117, and the number of brands was 3,417.

In 2020, the number of advertisers and brands during the Dussehra week (October 19th-25) was 2,130 and 3,433 respectively.

The number of advertisers and brands during the Dussehra week (October 9-15) in 2021 were 2,145 and 3,459 respectively.

In addition, the number of advertisers and brands were 18 percent more than the previous four weeks of 2021.

When it comes to channels, ad volumes for Bhojpuri language during the festive period were at an all-time high in 2021, recording a growth of 111 percent compared to the same period in October 2019.

Even Punjabi viewership recorded a 52 percent growth over October 2019, while the growth percentage for Telugu and Marathi languages was 33 percent and 35 percent respectively.

In terms of advertisers and brands, total number of advertisers stood at 2,851 and brands were 4,624 for October 2021, with 22 percent new advertisers.

Out of 2,851 advertisers in October on TV, 641 were new advertisers. When it comes to brands, out of 4,624 total number of brands, 1,065 were new brands.

“Television advertising continues to grow peaking at 178 million seconds in October 2021, the highest for the same period over the last three years. Backed by festivities and sporting events, these numbers have reinstated a strong positive sentiment amongst marketers," said Aaditya Pathak, Head – Client Partnership and Revenue Function, BARC India.

He added that new advertisers and brands continue to ride this growth wave and place their trust in the medium given its reach. Ad volumes for the Dussehra week grew and the number of new advertisers and brands was also the highest for this period, he said.

While advertisement volumes for FMCG dominate charts, ecommerce and BFSI sectors have recorded a strong growth of 97 percent and 98 percent respectively, against Oct 2019, which is highest among other sectors.

Ad volumes for the auto sector are also showing a positive curve with growth of 3 percent over 2019.

The construction sector also saw growth with ad volumes for the building equipment category posting a 23 percent growth in October 2021 over 2019.

Overall, the growth for top 10 advertisers remained steady while the next 40 advertisers grew by 17 percent and the remaining advertisers witnessed 26 percent growth.