Even as the country continues to debate whether lockdowns are an easy way out to arrest spread of newer variants of COVID-19 virus, the BARC India Think Report for December 2021 showed Q4 of last year recorded the highest ad volumes for a quarter since 2019 with a bumper festive spike.

The report said 2021 also recorded 22 percent growth in ad volumes over 2020 and 18 percent over 2019. Over 4,000 brands advertised on television in December 2021 with ad volumes recording 155 million seconds on television last month.

Aaditya Pathak, Head, Client Partnership & Revenue Function, BARC India, reflecting on the last quarter said in a statement Tuesday, “Post a rollercoaster ride in 2020 on account of the pandemic and lockdown, 2021 was a strong positive year for the broadcast industry. We witnessed increased attention from marketers towards television, across languages, while welcoming new brands to the medium throughout the year.

“Ad Volumes for digital native and e-commerce brands indicate that marketers continued to bet on television to establish stronger relationships and effective communication with their consumers. With a total of 155 million seconds of advertising volumes in December 2021, we can say with optimism that the broadcast industry ended 2021 on an encouraging note.”

Some of the December 2021 highlights are as follows:

• December 2021 recorded a total of 155 million seconds of ad volumes, 25 percent higher than December 2019.
• Of the 2,524 advertisers and 4,104 brands, there were 19 percent new advertisers and brands on TV in December 2021.
• Ecommerce, BFSI, Retail and Textiles sectors independently registered over 40 percent growth each when compared to December 2019.
• Ad volumes for the Corporate/Brand Image category surged by 42 percent over December 2020.
• Ad volumes on Hindi language channels continued to grow consistently with 15 percent and 22 percent growth over December 2020 and 2019, respectively.
• Ad volumes for English language channels recovered with a 15 percent growth over December 2020.
• Ad volumes for Bhojpuri language channels witnessed highest growth with 120 percent over December 2019, while Punjabi language TV channels’ share increased by 83 percent over December 2019.
• Oriya and Assamese language channels’ ad volumes recorded an impressive 50 percent growth over December 2019, while Marathi channels’ ad volumes grew by 47 percent as compared to December 2019.
• Advertisers beyond the Top 50 enhanced their presence on TV with 30 percent and 26 percent growth over December 2020 and 2019, respectively.
• Q4 2021 showcased stronger growth than Q4 2020 and Q4 2019.
• Q4 2021 recorded 489 million seconds of ad volumes, registering 27 percent growth over Q4 2019 and 6 percent over Q4 2020.
• Brands across BFSI, Ecommerce, Corporate/Brand Image and Personal Accessories categories led this growth in Q4 2021 over Q4 2019.
• Ad volumes on South Indian language channels— Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada — registered 25 percent growth in Q4 2021 over Q4 2019.