Celebrity-endorsed ads down 22% YoY in Jan–Jun 2025: Report

A new report from TAM AdEx reveals a notable decrease in celebrity endorsements on television during the first half of 2025. The ‘Celebrity Endorsement Report: January-June’25’ indicates a 12% decline in celebrity-endorsed ads compared to the same period in 2023. Despite this downturn, celebrities continue to dominate a significant portion of the advertising landscape.

According to the report, 29% of all television ads telecast in the first six months of 2025 featured a celebrity. Of these, film stars accounted for the majority, contributing 74% of the ad volume. Sports personalities followed with a 19% share, and television actors with 7%.

Sectoral and Categorical Analysis

The ‘Food & Beverages’ sector maintained its lead, accounting for 23% of celebrity ad volumes. This was followed by ‘Personal Care/Personal Hygiene’ with 17% and ‘Household Products’ with 8%. These three sectors collectively represent more than 45% of all celebrity-endorsed ads.

In terms of specific categories, ‘Toilet/Floor Cleaners’ led with an 8% share of celebrity ad volumes. The top ten categories contributed 40% of the total ad volume, with six of these categories belonging to the ‘Food & Beverages,’ ‘Building, Industrial & Land Materials/Equipments,’ and ‘Personal Care/Personal Hygiene’ sectors.

Most Visible Endorsers

Shah Rukh Khan was identified as the most visible celebrity endorser, with an average daily visibility of 27 hours across all channels. He was followed by M.S. Dhoni at 22 hours per day. The top ten list of most visible endorsers was dominated by male celebrities, with 8 male and 2 female celebrities making the cut.

In a separate analysis of celebrity couples, Deepika Padukone/Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma/Virat Kohli led the rankings. These two couples together endorsed 30% of the total celebrity couple ad volume.

The report’s findings are based on a study of commercial ads on television from January to June 2025, excluding promos and social ads. The study considered celebrities from the Hindi film and television industries, as well as sports personalities.