Print ads fall 4% in H1 2025, education, services, auto dominate: Report

Print advertising volumes fell by 4% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest half-yearly report by TAM AdEx.

The Education sector accounted for the largest share of print ad space at 20%, followed by Services and Auto, each with 15%. Banking/Finance/Investment contributed 9%, while Retail accounted for 7%. Together, the top five sectors made up more than 67% of overall print ad space.

Among categories, Cars remained the most advertised, while Multiple Courses registered the highest growth in absolute print ad space, with 15% up. The top 10 categories together contributed a 48% share of print ad volumes, with three of them from the Education sector.

Among advertisers, Maruti Suzuki India retained its top spot in both H1 2024 and H1 2025. Reliance Retail, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter, and Hero Motocorp followed. Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor Company, and Kia Motors Corporation emerged as new entrants in the top 10 list this year. The top 10 advertisers collectively contributed 13% of ad space.

At the brand level, Allen Career Institute led the rankings, followed by Honda Activa Range and Maruti Car Range. Five of the top 10 brands belonged to the auto sector. In total, over 104,000 brands advertised in print during the period.

Sales promotion advertising accounted for 29% of total ad space. Within this, multiple promotions held the highest share at 47%, followed by discount promotions at 41%.

By language, Hindi publications contributed 36% of ad volumes, followed by English at 29%. Together, Hindi and English made up over 60% of print advertising, with Marathi (8%), Kannada (6%), and Tamil (6%) also featuring among the leading languages.

Access the full report here.