India’s print advertising industry continued its steady climb in 2025, with ad space per publication rising 21% compared to 2021 levels, according to the latest TAM AdEx report for the year 2025 for the print sector. While growth over 2024 was relatively modest at 2%, the data signals consolidation after strong gains in previous years.
On a quarterly basis, the second half of the year proved more robust, with Q3 and Q4 delivering 13% higher ad space per publication than Q1.
The auto sector retained its leadership position in print, accounting for 16% of total ad space in 2025, with Maruti Suzuki India securing the top slot. Services followed closely with a 15% share, while education secured 14%.
Banking, finance and investment contributed 11%, and retail added 8%. Together, the top 10 sectors made up a commanding 85% share of total print ad space, underlining the concentration of spending among key industries.
It must be mentioned that the years 2020-2021 were when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out and peaked, resulting in print media circulation and advertising, mainly newspapers, dropping to near zero levels in many cases.
Cars top list
At the category level, cars maintained their dominance with a 9% share of total ad space, followed by properties/real estate at 6%. Two wheelers and multiple courses each accounted for 5%, while retail outlets–jewellers contributed 4%.
Notably, cars also recorded a 26% growth in ad volumes over 2024, while branded jewellery saw an even sharper 60% increase. FMCG products emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories, registering 3.1 times growth compared to the previous year.
Advertiser participation remained strong. More than 72,000 advertisers and over 179,000 brands were active in print during 2025, with 95,000-plus brands advertising exclusively in the medium.
The top 10 advertisers collectively contributed 13% of total ad space, led by Maruti Suzuki India, which retained its number one position. Other leading advertisers included Hero MotoCorp, Reliance Retail, Tata Motors and TVS Motor Company. At the brand level, the Maruti Car Range ranked first, followed by Smart Bazaar and Allen Career Institute.
Sales promotion advertising played a significant role, accounting for 33% of total print ad space. Within this segment, multiple promotions led with a 51% share, followed by discount promotions at 38%. Together, the top two promotional formats contributed 88% of sales promotion ad space.
Festive advertising continued to drive volumes, with Diwali alone contributing 41% of total festive-themed ad space. The Navratri/Durga Puja festivities and Christmas/New Year celebrations followed with 17% and 10% shares, respectively.
Print ad placements
In terms of ad placements, jackets and full pages emerged as the most preferred format, accounting for 32% of ad space among top positions. Full pages (29%) and half-page horizontal (21%) formats also remained popular.
More than 8,800 brands opted for the jacket-full page position, with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leading this format.
Innovative ad formats, including masthead integration and augmented reality integration, gained traction, although the top five innovative layouts together contributed a modest 0.6% share of total ad space.
