MUMBAI: In a piece of good news for the industry battered by the pandemic, the latest data from television monitoring agency Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) shows the combined TV ad volume for the months of January and February in 2021 was the highest since 2017.

The advertising sector is on a path to revival and the gains made during the second half of 2020 have seeped into the first two months of 2021. According to the data, the ad volumes have increased by 21 per cent over last year. “Continuing the momentum built in the second half of 2020, TV ad volumes have had the most promising start with January and February ad volume levels of 2021 being the highest ever in five years. A lot of sectors/categories, and key non-FMCG brands, also seem to have increased their presence on TV during this period which augurs well for the medium,” said BARC India client partnership and revenue function head Aaditya Pathak.

In terms of genres, movies and music + youth registered higher growth than the average growth in the overall ad volumes which was 25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. This was followed by GEC and news with 21 per cent and 18 per cent growth respectively during Jan-Feb 2021 over the same period in 2020.

The top ten advertisers drove the ad volumes on TV, contributing 45 per cent to the total share and recorded 35 per cent growth over last year. The next 40 advertisers rode alongside with 25 per cent growth during Jan-Feb this year.

2020 also witnessed new entrants in TV advertising and the rise of advertisers in the digital segment, especially those from the e-commerce segment. The phenomenon holds true for the current period in consideration as well. E-commerce grew by 21 per cent in Jan-Feb 2021, showing a consistent growth year-on-year in TV advertising. Other categories like retail and building, industry, and land materials also saw an increase in spends this year, compared to 2020.

Brands including Lizol, Dettol, and Harpic emerged as the most advertised brands during the period. Several non-FMCG Brands also increased their presence on TV during this period.

With a promising start to the year, the expectations for higher ad spends have definitely gone up for the coming months. The upcoming national and international sports events are also expected to bolster the trend as advertisers continue to keep TV as their preferred choice of platform to reach out to the millions of homes across India.