Ananya Panday emerges as the only female face in top 10 as celebrity-led TV ads hit 27%: Report

Celebrity endorsements continued to account for a significant share of television advertising in India in 2025, though overall ad volumes featuring celebrities declined compared with the previous two years, according to a report by TAM AdEx.

The report noted celebrities appeared in 27% of all TV advertisements in 2025, while non-celebrity ads made up the remaining 73%. Among celebrity-endorsed ads, film actors dominated with a 43% share, followed by film actresses at 29%, sports personalities at 20%, TV actors at 5% and TV actresses at 3%.

The ad volumes for celebrity-endorsed commercials showed a decline in 2025 compared with 2023 and 2024. Celebrity ads had grown by 3% in 2024 over 2023, but this momentum did not continue into 2025. Average daily ad volumes peaked during the April-June period, driven largely by the IPL season.

On a monthly basis, March recorded the highest share of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes in 2025, while December saw the lowest. Quarterly data showed that April-June accounted for the highest share of celebrity advertising in both 2024 and 2025, with 2025 showing stronger activity in the first half of the year.

Food and beverages led all sectors in celebrity advertising, accounting for 24% of ad volumes, followed by personal care and personal hygiene at 16% and household products at 10%. Nearly 50% of celebrity-endorsed ads came from the top three sectors, while 79% were concentrated in the top seven sectors.

Gender patterns varied by sector. The food and beverages category was dominated by male celebrity endorsements, while personal care and personal hygiene ads featured a higher share of female celebrities. Across the top 10 sectors, the average male-to-female endorsement ratio was 60:40, the report said.

At the category level, toilet and floor cleaners led celebrity-endorsed advertising with a 9% share, followed by toilet soaps, washing powders and liquids, and aerated soft drinks, each at 5%. The top 10 categories together accounted for 40% of all celebrity-endorsed ads on television.

E-commerce gaming emerged as the category with the highest number of celebrities endorsing brands, with 41 celebrities associated with the segment. It was followed by e-commerce media and entertainment, and building materials and systems.

Shah Rukh Khan was the most visible celebrity on television in 2025, accounting for 10% of total celebrity ad share and averaging nearly 30 hours of ad visibility per day. Former Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni ranked second, with around 20 hours of daily visibility. The top 10 list included nine male celebrities and one female celebrity, Ananya Panday.

Dhoni also endorsed the highest number of brands in 2025, with 59 endorsements, up from 52 in 2024. Other celebrities who increased their brand associations included Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan.

Celebrity couples continued to feature prominently in advertising. The report said 50% of ads endorsed by celebrity couples involved four pairs: Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, and Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

The analysis was based on television ad duration in 2025 and covered commercial advertisements only, excluding promos and social ads.