Mumbai: Radio advertising in India maintained a steady recovery trajectory in 2025, registering a 2% year-on-year rise in ad volumes, while average ad volumes per station climbed 40% compared to 2021. The latest TAM AdEx findings underline the medium’s sustained relevance and advertiser confidence.
Tracking activity across more than 120 radio stations, the report highlights consistent quarterly momentum, with ad volumes in the fourth quarter rising 10% over the second quarter — a signal of improving demand and stronger festive and year-end advertising spends.
Sector and Category Trends
The Services sector continued to dominate radio advertising, contributing 30% of total ad volumes. Auto, F&B, Education, and Building Materials followed, with the top 10 sectors together accounting for 90% of overall radio advertising activity in 2025.
On the category front, Properties/Real Estate led with a 15% share of total ad volumes. Cars and Retail Outlets–Jewellers also featured prominently, with the jewellery segment recording one of the sharpest increases in ad secondages during the year. More than 410 categories advertised on radio, with the top 10 accounting for 53% of total volumes.
Top Advertisers and Brands
Maruti Suzuki India emerged as the top advertiser on radio in 2025, followed by LIC of India, as more than 9,500 advertisers leveraged the medium during the year. The top 10 advertisers together contributed 15% of total ad volumes.
Among brands, Maruti Suzuki Arena topped the rankings, while the top 10 brands accounted for 7% of overall radio ad volumes. The presence of several new entrants in the rankings reflects a dynamic and expanding advertiser base.
Emerging and Exclusive Advertisers
Radio continued to attract fresh investments, with more than 4,800 advertisers being exclusive to the medium in 2025 compared to 2024. Sapphire Media emerged as the leading exclusive advertiser, highlighting radio’s appeal as a focused regional and local outreach platform.
Geographical and Time-Band Insights
Regionally, Gujarat led all states with a 17% share of total radio ad volumes, followed by Maharashtra at 15%. Jaipur topped the city rankings, with the top 10 cities collectively accounting for 63% of overall volumes.
Evening remained the most preferred time band for advertisers, closely followed by morning. Together, these two slots accounted for 69% of total ad volumes. In terms of ad duration, 20–40 second spots continued to dominate, while ads longer than 60 seconds saw a 9% year-on-year increase.
Overall, the data reinforces radio’s position as a resilient and effective advertising medium, offering strong regional penetration, category diversity, and consistent audience engagement across key time bands.
