9 October 2020
Media
Expert Speak
Ad spends picking up sharply; IPL driving festive energy
TV remains preferred mode for advertisers
Amidst the sharp recovery in consumer spends, we interacted with Mr. Ajay Varghese, Vice
President-Buying with Omnicom Media Group, to understand the trends in corporate ad-
spends before the festive season and how broadcasters are preparing for recovery in their
legacy business. Key takeaways from the discussion are:
In 2HCY20, the IPL is driving a large part of ad spends. The IPL is a ~INR30b event and
spends on IPL have grown in 2020 v/s that in 2019.
Currently, TV and all other prominent advertisement channels are running full on
inventories as corporates have blocked slots, reflecting the strong ad budgets by
corporates due to the festive season approaching and economic activity picking up.
Ed-tech apps like Byju’s, Udemy, etc. and gaming apps like Dream11 are spending heavily
on ads in 2HCY20.
Star and Sony are witnessing high ratings in sports and fiction genre. Other major
broadcasters have also seen some traction, but Star and Sony are expected to steal the
thunder this festive season.
For advertisers, RoI remains good and measurable in the TV segment. Of the total ad
budget for large corporates, 90% goes toward TV ads and 10% toward digital ads.
Strong pull-back in ad revenues in 2HCY20
Festive season:
The festive season is expected to see a healthy rise in ad revenues.
FMCG, consumer durables and automobiles will spend heavily this festive season,
according to Mr. Varghese. Auto companies have launched many new models, and
thus, are also expected to spend heavily to drive sales in 2HCY20.
IPL traction remains strong:
In 2HCY20, IPL is driving a large part of the ad spends.
The IPL is a ~INR30b event and spends on IPL have grown in 2020 (v/s 2019). IPL
already has 17 co-sponsors in 2020, with each sponsor investing at least INR500m.
Moreover, IPL during the festival season has further boosted the ad market sentiment.
Reality shows:
Other shows like Big Boss and KBC are also seeing huge traction witnessing strong demand on the
ad front. KBC and Big Boss have 10 sponsors each and have witnessed YoY growth in ad revenues.
Mr. Ajay Varghese
VP-Buying,
Omnicom Media Group
Mr. Varghese has spent
close to 20 years in the
industry. He started his
career in 1997 with Thomas
Cook and then moved onto
sales with the Indian
Express group, ETV
Network and Starcom. His
experience is across diverse
categories such as FMCG,
Banking, Phones, Retail,
Healthcare, Eyewear,
Airlines, E-commerce,
Home Appliances and
Corporate. He has worked
on brands such as J&J,
Nivea, Parle Agro, Hasbro,
Standard Chartered, Meru
cabs, Racold, Cadila and Jet
Airways.
F
estive season providing a healthy boost
Inventories:
Currently, TV and all other prominent advertisement channels are running on full inventories as
corporates have blocked slots, reflecting corporates’ strong ad budgets as the festive season approaches and
economic activity picks up.
Star and Sony driving festive season:
Star channel’s revenue is driven by the IPL, which has seen 40-50% growth
in viewer ratings. In the non-sports genre, Star has a good line-up of soaps and reality shows before the festive
season. Other channels like Sony and Colors also have a healthy content pipeline, which should attract
advertisers. Other major broadcasters have also seen some traction, but Star and Sony are expected to steal the
thunder this festive season.
Rising categories:
Ed-tech apps like Byju’s, Udemy, etc. and gaming apps like Dream11 are spending heavily on
ads in 2HCY20.
Research Analyst: Aliasgar Shakir
(Aliasgar.Shakir@motilaloswal.com);
Suhel Shaikh
(Suhel.Ahmad@MotilalOswal.com) /
Anshul Aggarwal
(Anshul.Aggarwal@motilaloswal.com)
Investors are advised to refer through important disclosures made at the last page of the Research Report.
9 October 2020
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Motilal Oswal research is available on www.motilaloswal.com/Institutional-Equities, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Factset and S&P Capital.