TV ad volumes clock 20% growth in Q1 2022 over pre-pandemic levels: BARC India report

TV ad volumes in the March quarter of this year clocked a 20 per cent growth over the corresponding quarter in 2020, as per the latest data released by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India.

Ad volumes stood at 443 million seconds across all TV channels and was almost at par with the numbers of 2021 March quarter (456 million seconds).

‘Strong opening quarter’
“Q1 2022 was a strong opening quarter for the year given the upward growth in January, February and March. The number of advertisers and brands that continued to engage with television viewers is also higher in Q1 2022 over Q1 2021. Televisions consistent growth in ad volumes in the first quarter of 2022 reaffirms the reach of the medium,” said Aaditya Pathak, Head – Client Partnership and Revenue Function, BARC India.

The total number of advertisers on TV in the quarter stood at 4,259 which was higher compared to the same period in 2021 (4,175). Nearly 49 per cent of the advertisers in this period were either new or returning advertisers on television and January 2022 registered the highest number of advertisers for the quarter with 2,769 advertisers, BARC India added.

Ad volumes for e-commerce grew by 40 per cent compared to Q1 2021; and categories like corporate brand Image, telecom products and education also saw “exponential” growth. FMCG category saw the highest number of advertisers at 835 on TV, while personal accessories has seen the highest growth (17 per cent) in the number of advertisers. Education had the highest share (64 per cent) of new and returning advertisers, the report added.

Regional languages
In terms of languages, ad volumes on Hindi, Telugu, Oriya and English channels clocked growth over Q1 2021. Oriya channels witnessed the highest growth at 10 per cent in terms of ad volumes compared to Q1 2021; and Bhojpuri channels registered highest growth (60 per cent) compared to Q1 2020.

“Tamil channels have the highest share of exclusive advertisers at 54 per cent and Hindi has the highest share of new and returning advertisers at 48 per cent,” the report added. The Hindu BusinessLine