Instagram alone commands 64% of India’s digital ad impressions : TAM

Digital advertising impressions in India more than doubled in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, driven largely by growth in services and e-commerce categories, according to a report by TAM AdEx, a unit of TAM Media Research.

The report said digital ad impressions rose 149% during January to September 2025 compared with January to September 2024. Private sector advertisers continued to shift spending toward digital platforms as online consumption increased.

The services sector remained the largest contributor, accounting for 44% of total digital ad impressions during the period. Education, computers, personal accessories, and retail followed, while personal care and hygiene, food and beverages, and durables entered the top 10 sectors for the first time.

Within categories, e-commerce online shopping moved to the top position, accounting for 12% of digital ad impressions in January to September 2025. The category recorded 96% growth compared with the same period last year. Overall, the top 10 categories together accounted for 42% of total digital ad impressions.

Amazon Online India emerged as the largest digital advertiser during the period, followed by Flipkart, Hindustan Unilever and Adobe Software India. The top 10 advertisers together contributed 16% of total digital ad impressions.

Adobe Software India also led the list of advertisers that were exclusive to digital platforms and did not advertise on television. The report said more than 149,000 advertisers were present only on digital during the nine months.

Instagram accounted for the largest share of digital ad impressions among web publishers, with 64%, followed by Facebook at 14% and YouTube at 8%. The top five web publishers together captured more than 90% of total impressions.

Display advertising remained the dominant digital format, accounting for 90% of impressions, while video contributed the remaining 10%. Programmatic buying was the most widely used transaction method, making up 96% of total digital ad impressions during the period, the report said.

TAM AdEx said more than 400 digital advertising categories registered positive growth during the period, reflecting continued expansion in online advertising activity.