India’s ad revenue to hit $22.7 billion; Growth to reach 9.7% in 2026: WPP Media

India’s advertising revenue is projected to rise to $22.74 billion, with overall ad growth estimated to climb 9.7% in 2026, according to WPP Media’s latest report.

Digital and social platforms will continue to dominate global advertising expansion. The segment is expected to reach $413 billion in 2025 (+12.8%) and $445.4 billion in 2026 (+7.8%). Its share of total ad revenue is set to grow from 34.8% in 2024 to 36.1% in 2025 and 36.4% in 2026.

A major contributor to this momentum in 2025 has been the rise of social commerce videos and commerce-led advertising, WPP Media noted.

Commerce advertising is emerging as a powerful global force. It is forecast to account for 15.6% of total global ad revenue in 2025, touching $178.2 billion and surpassing global TV ad revenue for the first time.

In India, commerce ad revenue is projected to grow sharply--from roughly $3 billion in 2025 to $8 billion by 2030, driven primarily by the expansion of retail media networks. Retail media currently constitutes the bulk of commerce revenue and remains the strongest growth engine.

To accelerate growth, retailers are increasingly moving beyond their own websites and traditional endemic advertisers. The shift toward off-site retail media, which uses retailers’ first-party data to target consumers across the open web, has expanded inventory and unlocked new revenue opportunities for established players.

Cinema advertising in India is also rebounding strongly. According to the report, cinema ad revenue is expected to surge more than 150% in 2026, recovering from levels below 50% during the pandemic years.

Globally, overall ad revenue growth for 2025 has been revised upward to 8.8%, compared to WPP Media’s earlier forecast of 7.7% made in December 2024.