GEC genre saw growth of 33% in ad volumes in 2020: TAM AdEx

The General Entertainment genre on television saw quite a few ups and downs in 2020. The global pandemic and long months of lockdown resulted in drying up of fresh content on TV channels due to strict COVID-19 regulations that brought all shootings to a standstill. However, GECs found a fresh lease of life in old classic shows that were revived across channels and found great traction. Hence, we saw the return of series such as ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharat’ and many more.

While TV advertising saw a dip during the lockdown period, there was a revival once shootings resumed and fresh content returned to television, including favourites such as ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘KBC’ and of course, Indian Premier League 2020.

As per TAM AdEx report, wherein it presents the advertising overview on GEC channel genre in 2020, the GEC genre covered more than one-fourth of Ad Volumes’ share during 2016-20. The GEC genre saw a growth of 33% in ad volumes in 2020, compared to Y 2016. Resurgence in Ad Volumes was seen on GECs during the 3rd and 4th quarters, that is, the Unlockdown period after drop in 2nd quarter due to the Lockdown. The months of October and November had the highest share (that is, 10% each) due to the festive period. The year 2019 witnessed the highest share of GEC Ad Volumes at 28%.

Count of Advertisers and Brands dropped by 38% in Q2’20, which recovered by 48% and 58%, respectively, in Q4’20 over Q2’20. 1.3K+ advertisers and 2.7K+ brands exclusively advertised during 2020 on GECs compared to 2019.

Commercial advertising added 55% share of Ad Volumes on GECs, whereas Promos had a 45% share in 2020. 20-40 second Ad Commercials were most preferred for advertising on GECs during both 2019-20. Prime Time was the most preferred time-band on GEC genre, followed by Afternoon and Morning time-bands. Ecom-Media/ Entertainment/ Social Media saw the highest increase in Ad secondages during 2020 compared to 2019 in the GEC Genre.

In the GEC genre, HUL topped among the GEC advertisers followed by Reckitt Benckiser on 2nd position during 2020. Six out of Top 10 brands on GECs were from HUL, while 3 were from Reckitt Benckiser.

Personal Care/ Personal Hygiene sector topped with 25% share of Ad Volumes, followed by Food & Beverages with 22% share. The Top 3 sectors together added 57% share of Ad Volumes, which were also on top during Y 2019.

Toilet Soaps leads among the Top 10 categories of GEC Genre with 9% Ad Volumes’ share in 2020. Toilet Soaps, Washing Powders/Liquids, Shampoos and Tea categories maintained their ranks. Four out of Top 10 categories belonged to the Food & Beverages sector. Biscuits category was the new entrant in Top 10 categories’ list replacing Hair Oils. Positive rank shift observed in Milk Beverages and Ecom-Media/ Entertainment/ Social Media categories. In terms of growth percentage, Hand Sanitizers category witnessed the highest growth of 10 times followed by Range of Toiletries with 6x growth.

800+ advertisers advertised exclusively in the GEC genre during 2020. Clinic Plus Shampoo was the top brand during 2020, followed by Lux Toilet Soap. My Vishwa Technologies was the top exclusive advertiser in the GEC genre. Airtel Payments Bank and Voot Select were the top exclusive advertiser and brand, respectively, during 2020. True Shield Hand Sanitizer was the top Brand during Apr’20 to Jun’20 & Aug’20 in GEC Genre. Marico was the only new entrant in Top 10 advertisers’ list.