PMAR 2026 Preview: India’s Rs 1.55 Lakh Crore ad market is already 60% digital

Ahead of its formal launch on 24th February, in Mumbai, Madison World, in association with Pitch and exchange4media, today unveiled a preview of the Pitch Madison Advertising Report (PMAR) 2026.

The formal launch of the report will be followed by a power-packed conference with a mix of keynote addresses and engaging panel discussions, featuring eminent industry leaders, including Chief Guest Amit Syngle, Managing Director & CEO, Asian Paints; Special Invitee Girish Prabhu, VP & Head of Amazon Ads India; and Shivam Puri, CEO, Cipla Health, the closing keynote speaker.

Report Preview

The report reveals that India’s advertising market reached Rs 1,55,105 crore in 2025 under an expanded AdEx definition, growing 12% over 2024. By fully incorporating Quick Commerce (Q‑Comm) and MSME Digital spends into the market sizing, the report confirms that digital already accounts for 60% of India’s ad market, with traditional media at 40%.

On the legacy definition used in earlier PMAR editions, AdEx grew 7% to Rs 1,15,291 crore, with Digital at 46% and Traditional at 54%, providing continuity with previous years and global benchmarks. Together, the two series show the same reality from different angles: headline growth has moderated, but the structure of Indian AdEx has flipped decisively in favour of Digital.

A bigger, more Digital, more complex market

Under the expanded definition, total Digital AdEx in 2025 stood at Rs 93,156 crore (60% share), up 22% from Rs 76,261 crore in 2024, while traditional media declined 1% to Rs 61,949 crore (40% share). Digital comprises three components: core Digital (Search, Social, Video, Display, Ecommerce), Q‑Comm advertising (Rs 4,000 crore) and MSME Digital spends (Rs 35,814 crore).

PMAR 2026 forecasts that, on this expanded base, India’s AdEx will reach Rs 1,74,605 crore in 2026, implying 12–13% growth and pushing Digital’s share to about 64% (Rs 1,11,976 crore). On the old definition, AdEx is expected to grow about 9% to roughly Rs 1,25,600 crore, underlining that incremental market value is now being created primarily in new‑age Digital ecosystems.

The Conference Agenda

The unveiling of the Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2026 will bring together leading marketers, media strategists and industry heads to examine the evolution of advertising amid economic pressures, platform shifts and AI-led transformation.

Following the report presentation by Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World, and the strategic outlook shared by Ajit Varghese, Partner and Group CEO, Madison, the stage will open for discussions on what has scaled, what has broken, and how agency models must adapt for the coming decade.

Sharing key perspectives from the advertiser side will be Amit Syngle, who will speak on expectations from media owners in challenging times. This will be followed by a retail-media focused fireside, featuring Girish Prabhu. The closing keynote of the conference will be delivered by Shivam Puri, who will outline critical decisions brands must make before 2027.

Vikram Sakhuja, Non-Executive Director, Madison, will lead a debate on whether clients are better off with the advertising sector's holding companies, independents or in-house teams. In another discussion, Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director of Snap Inc, will engage industry heads on the KPIs in advertising. The evening will also see Vivek Das, Chief Digital Officer, Madison Media, moderate a discussion on short-form content and the advent of AI in advertising. 

Overall, the agenda reflects a sector moving from rapid digital expansion towards efficiency, accountability and full-funnel growth, with retail media, AI, measurement and evolving agency structures emerging as the key topics of debate and deliberation.