Stars Still Shine, But the Spotlight Flickers on Celebrity TV Ads

MUMBAI: If television advertising were a red carpet, Hindi movies still stole the show in 2025 but the crowd was thinner than before. Celebrity endorsements continued to command attention on Indian television last year, accounting for 27 per cent of all ad volumes, even as overall celebrity-led advertising saw a dip compared to previous years, according to the latest TAM AdEx Celebrity Endorsement Report 2025

Film stars remained the undisputed face of brand storytelling, contributing a hefty 73 per cent of celebrity ad volumes. Male film actors alone dominated 43 per cent of endorsements, while film actresses added another 29 per cent. Sports personalities followed at 20 per cent, underlining cricket’s enduring pull on advertisers, while TV actors and actresses together made up the remaining single-digit share.

Despite their prominence, celebrity-led advertising volumes declined in 2025 after a modest three per cent rise in 2024, suggesting that brands are becoming more selective about when and how they deploy star power. The year followed a familiar rhythm: ad volumes peaked during March, May and September, with the April–June quarter emerging as the busiest period, driven largely by the IPL effect.

Sector-wise, celebrity endorsements clustered heavily around everyday consumption. Food and beverages topped the charts with a 24 per cent share, followed by personal care and hygiene at 16 per cent and household products at 10 per cent. Together, the top three sectors accounted for nearly half of all celebrity-endorsed ads, while the top seven sectors contributed 79 per cent of total volumes.

Gender patterns remained sharply defined. Male celebrities dominated food and beverage advertising, accounting for 64 per cent of endorsements in the category, while women led personal care and hygiene campaigns with a 61 per cent share, a divide that continues to shape casting choices in television advertising.

Among categories, toilet and floor cleaners emerged as the most celebrity-heavy, contributing nine per cent of ad volumes, ahead of toilet soaps, washing powders and aerated soft drinks. Meanwhile, e-commerce gaming attracted the widest pool of celebrity endorsers, with 41 stars lending their faces to brands in the category.

When it came to sheer visibility, Shah Rukh Khan towered over the field, clocking nearly 30 hours of average daily presence on television and claiming 10 per cent of total celebrity ad share. MS Dhoni followed with around 20 hours a day, while Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and a handful of others rounded out the top ten, a list notably dominated by men.

Dhoni also emerged as the most prolific endorser, fronting 59 brands in 2025, up from 52 the previous year. Celebrity couples continued to be a force multiplier, with four power pairs including Ranbir Kapoor–Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma–Virat Kohli accounting for half of all couple-led endorsements.

The takeaway from 2025 is clear, while celebrity appeal still drives recall and scale on television, brands are no longer betting blindly on fame alone. Star power remains potent but in a cluttered, cost-conscious market, it is being deployed with sharper intent and tighter focus than before.