India’s advertising economy continues to move forward with remarkable stability, even as global markets stay unpredictable. New data shows that the country is on track to touch nearly ₹1.85 lakh crore in ad revenue in 2025, with growth expected to strengthen further in 2026.
India’s GDP and advertising spend have usually moved in sync, with ad growth often outpacing GDP by a healthy margin. But the last few years brought a shift. Household savings dipped and consumption softened, making growth a little uneven. Even then, select categories held strong, and the overall market stayed resilient.
The 2025 festive season is a good example — retail sales crossed an impressive ₹6 lakh crore, driven by heavy discounting and a clear willingness to spend despite financial caution.
Linear TV continues to face structural challenges as audiences steadily migrate online. TV advertising is set to dip slightly in 2025 before recovering later. On the other hand, streaming platforms are expanding fast. The Jio–Disney Star merger has reshaped the digital landscape, and Amazon’s ad-supported video tier has intensified the battle for attention. With the 2027 IPL rights auction around the corner, digital could become an even bigger force.
Print continues to surprise. Even as global markets see sharp declines, newspapers in India are expected to grow thanks to government, political, and retail campaigns — especially from advertisers outside major agency networks.
Radio, meanwhile, is slowing down, but digital audio and podcasts are giving the category a fresh lift.
Digital remains the biggest growth engine. By 2026, digital is expected to bring in more than ₹71,000 crore, driven by short-form videos, social platforms, and emerging content formats.
But the real standout is retail media.
Retail media is projected to hit ₹30,000 crore by 2026, capturing around 15% of India’s total ad revenue.
E-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart continue to dominate. Quick-commerce players such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart are growing ad revenue at blazing speeds as brands chase shoppers at the moment of purchase.
Search advertising will also keep growing, but at a slower pace as marketers divert more budgets toward commerce-driven platforms.
Out-of-home continues to climb, supported by metro expansion, improved road infrastructure, and rising commuter traffic. Digital OOH is still small but gaining steady traction.
Cinema advertising is also recovering. Though streaming platforms have changed box-office behaviour, cinema is expected to reach pre-pandemic ad levels by 2026.
Categories such as automotive, mobile phones, BFSI, food and beverage, and retail will drive most of the growth over the next two years. A major trend will be the shifting of TV budgets into digital ecosystems — especially commerce-led platforms and CTV.
By 2030, India’s ad industry could hit ₹2.8 lakh crore, with content-led advertising holding a smaller share as commerce-based formats grow much faster.
