Advertising volume of general entertainment channels fell by 6% in the first half of 2024

In the first half of 2024 (January-June), general entertainment channels (GEC) recorded a 6% decline in advertising volume compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Hindi channels topped the charts across the GEC genre with 24% ad share, followed by Tamil GEC channels with 15% in the first half of 2024, according to a report by TAM Media Research.

In the first half of the year, food and beverages were the leading sector, accounting for 31% of GEC advertising volume, followed by personal care/body hygiene at 21%, household products at 10% and personal health care at 8%.

Among advertisers, Hindustan Unilever tops the list, followed by Reckitt Benckiser India, Godrej Consumer Products, ITC, Cadbury, P&G, The Coca-Cola India, Nestle India, Britannia and Glaxo Smithkline. These top 10 advertisers collectively accounted for 63% share of GEC advertising volume in H1 2024.

At the same time, there were positive ranking shifts at ITC, Nestle India and Glaxo Smithkline, with Glaxo Smithkline rising four positions in the ranking and securing a place among the top 10.

The report found that during the period January-June 2024, a total of more than 3,300 brands were present on television and 5 of the top 10 brands were from Reckitt and 4 from HUL.

The dairy beverages category saw the highest increase in advertising seconds with 19% growth, followed by waffles/chips with 75% growth in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.