Hindi and English language publications together contributed more than 60% of print ad volume during Jan-Jul 2026, according to the latest report from TAM AdEx, the advertising intelligence arm of TAM Media Research. The report compares print ad space in the Jan-Jul 2026 period with Jan-Jul 2025.
Hindi remained the leading publication language by ad volume at 37% share, followed by English at 29% — rankings unchanged from a year earlier.
Together, the two languages accounted for more than 60% of ad volume in both periods. Marathi (8%), Telugu and Kannada (5% each) rounded out the top five languages, with the top three languages holding steady across both years, the TAM report stated.
The findings are part of a broader report tracking Col*Cms-based ad space data (excluding house ads) across Indian print publications from January to July, which found that India’s print advertising market showed resilience in the first seven months of 2026, with total ad space contracting just 2% compared to the same period last year.
More than 108,000 brands advertised in print during the period — underscoring the medium’s continued relevance even as digital advertising expands.
Education leads, auto behind
Education was the single largest contributor to print ad space, commanding a 20% share, followed by Services at 15% and Auto at 14%. Banking, Finance and Investment rounded out the top four with an 11% share.
All four top sectors held onto the same rankings they occupied a year earlier, while the top five sectors combined accounted for more than 66% of total print ad space.
Corporate/Brand Image was the only new entrant to crack the top 10 sectors in 2026, climbing from 11th place to 10th.
Cars overtake courses
At the category level, Cars edged out Multiple Courses to become the single most-advertised category in print during Jan-Jul’26, capturing a 9% share of ad space against 8% for Multiple Courses. Properties/Real Estate ranked third with 6%.
The top 10 categories together made up 48% of all print ad space, with three of them — Multiple Courses, Coaching/Competitive Exam Centres and Schools — drawn from the education sector. Retail Outlets-Clothing/Textiles/Fashion was the sole new entrant into the top 10, jumping from 14th to 10th place.
While Cars held the top spot by share, the fastest-moving categories told a different story. Multiple Courses posted the highest absolute growth in ad space year-on-year, followed by Retail Outlets-Jewellers (up 16%) and Ecom-Other Services, which grew sevenfold. Herbal Juices posted the most dramatic jump, growing 21 times over, while Corporate-Pharma/Healthcare grew 71%. TAM AdEx noted that more than 290 categories registered positive growth in print ad space during the period.
Maruti Suzuki, Allen lead advertiser charts
Maruti Suzuki India topped the list of print advertisers for the second straight year, followed by Hero Motocorp and LIC of India. Seven of the top 10 advertisers from Jan-Jul’25 retained their positions in Jan-Jul’26, though the list saw three new entrants — SBS Biotech, GCMMF and Renault India — which jumped from outside the top 20 into the top 10. Collectively, the top 10 advertisers accounted for a 13% share of print ad space.
At the brand level, Allen Career Institute was the top-advertised brand in print during Jan-Jul’26, followed by LIC. Three Maruti Suzuki nameplates — E Vitara, its overall Car Range, and Grand Vitara — also featured in the top 10, alongside Kisna Diamond & Gold Jewellery, Aakash Medical/IIT-JEE Foundation, Galgotias University and Smart Bazaar. Auto and Education sectors each placed three brands in the top 10, which together commanded a 5% share of total print ad space.
Sales promotions
Promotional advertising remained a significant driver of print spend, with sales promotions accounting for 28% of total print ad space during Jan-Jul’26, against 69% for brand advertising. Within the sales promotions category, Multiple Promotion offers led with a 45% share, followed by Discount Promotions at 40% — together making up 85% of all promotional advertising in print.
