India’s ad spend shifts decisively from TV to digital, influencers and commerce media
An industry analysis charts India’s 2015–25 media reset: TV’s share of ad spend fell from 39.2% to about 21%, while digital rose from 11.6% to more than 44%. The signal for consumer brands is a more fragmented mix of performance marketing, e-commerce ads, creators and enduring brand campaigns.
What happened
Indian advertising and consumer-brand market · Opinion analysis of India’s advertising shift from television to digital, performance marketing, e-commerce ads
Key facts
- Households increased from 249 million in 2015 to 300 million in 2025
- GDP increased from $2.1 trillion to $4.3 trillion
- Measured poverty declined from 16.2% to 2.3%
- Television share of media spending fell from 39.2% to about 21%
- Digital share of media spending rose from 11.6% to more than 44%
What changed
Opinion analysis of India’s advertising shift from television to digital, performance marketing, e-commerce ads and influencers. It argues strong brand campaigns remain relevant, citing Indian consumer-brand campaigns from Swiggy, Tanishq, Cadbury, Adani and Mahindra.
Why this matters
Indian retailers should shift more budget toward retail media, creators and performance channels while protecting brand investment that sustains customer loyalty beyond measurable conversion campaigns.
What to watch
- Retail media and quick-commerce ad revenue growth outpacing general digital ad growth.
- Sustained increases in customer-acquisition cost and declining ROAS on Meta, Google and marketplace ads.
- Major FMCG and consumer brands shifting TV budgets into connected TV, creators and retailer media.
- New marketplace measurement products linking ad exposure to offline or repeat purchase.
- Growth in regional-language creator commerce and affiliate-led conversion volumes.
Also reported by
- ET BrandEquity — Same time