TV dominates Bihar Election 2020 ad campaigns, print trails at 7%

Television emerged as the clear favourite for political advertising during the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020, accounting for an overwhelming 93% of total ad insertions, according to data from TAM AdEx India, a media research firm. Print, by contrast, captured just 7% of total ad placements during the same period.

The report tracked ad volumes between September 1 and November 7, 2020, covering one month before and the entire election phase, offers a breakdown of party-level spending and media preferences.

BJP Leads Ad Spend Across Platforms

Across both TV and print, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominated political advertising with 38.7% share of total insertions. It was followed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with 17.4%, and Congress with 17%.

Regional parties also made their presence felt, with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janta Dal United (JDU) contributing 11.9% and 8.9% respectively.

The data indicates that national parties led the airwaves, while regional players maintained steady visibility closer to polling weeks.

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TV Viewership Drives Political Messaging

On television, BJP accounted for 41% of all political ad insertions, making it the single largest advertiser during the election period. The NDA followed with 18.6%, while Congress took 17.4%. RJD and JDU had 12.7% and 8.8% shares respectively.

Interestingly, only nine advertisers used the TV medium for campaigning, indicating concentrated visibility by major parties rather than a wide spread of smaller entities.

The report notes that the first six weeks saw minimal political advertising on TV, with a sharp rise beginning Week 7. The peak in Week 9 marked the highest level of political ad activity across television, coinciding with the final campaign stretch.

Print Finds Space for Regional Alliances

While television remained the preferred choice, 29 advertisers used print publications in Bihar to reach voters. The Congress-RJD-CPI alliance led with 15.7% of print ad insertions, followed closely by BJP and its allies at 14.1%.

Other significant contributors included Janta Dal United (9.9%), BJP alone (8.9%), and Congress (7.1%). Nearly 45% of print ad space was taken up by “other” smaller political parties and independent candidates, suggesting a more fragmented approach compared to TV.

The study found that print advertising peaked during Week 9, mirroring the final leg of the TV campaign blitz.

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Week-by-Week Ad Surge

AdEx data reveals that political ad activity remained subdued through the first six weeks of the campaign. The momentum picked up sharply from Week 7 (October 11–17), escalating through Week 8 (October 18–24) and Week 9 (October 25–31), before slightly dipping in Week 10 (November 1–7) as polling concluded.

This trend underscores the traditional last-minute advertising push, as political parties intensified their outreach closer to the voting dates.

National vs Regional Advertising Dynamics

While national parties like BJP and Congress commanded over half of the total ad volumes, regional outfits such as RJD and JDU maintained significant mindshare with a combined 20% of total ad insertions.

The data also highlights that BJP’s strategy leaned heavily on television dominance, while Congress and its regional allies diversified across both TV and print for a balanced presence.