• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Automakers spent an estimated $305.5 million on national TV spending in January, down 10.8% year over year compared to $342.4 million in January 2025. 

January 2026 household TV ad impressions also fell 26.6% year-over-year to 14.3 billion compared to 19.4 billion, according to iSpot.tv. 

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spending were Hyundai ($42.2 million), Chevrolet ($41.8 million), Honda ($27.2 million), Ram Trucks ($26.7 million) and Jeep ($21.3 million).

Over 73% of total auto industry outlay in January went toward the NFL, with college football a distant second (9.40% spend SOV), according to iSpot.tv.

While all of the top five brands by spend prioritized the NFL, Honda leaned in the most, allocating 92% of its total January budget to games.

“While automakers’ TV ad budgets were squarely focused on the NFL Playoffs in January, those games were not the only place to find potential car buyers,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of media partnerships at iSpot.tv tells Marketing Daily. “Multiple Spanish-language programs saw automotive ad impressions grow considerably year-over-year, suggesting these environments are delivering incremental but efficient reach for the industry.”

Ram Trucks had the most diversity in spend, although it was still incredibly sports heavy: 68% of budget went to airings during NFL games, 24% for college football, 1.62% for men’s college basketball and 0.84% for the NBA.

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions were Hyundai (11.62%), Lexus (10.78%), Chevrolet (8.57%), Nissan (7.74%) and Toyota (7.65%), according to iSpot.tv.

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming were Hyundai (14.24%), Jeep (9.91%), Ram Trucks (8.27%), Chevrolet (7.45%) and Nissan (6.80%), according to iSpot.tv.

The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions were NFL (32.47%), college football (8.71%), NBA (3.63%), men’s college basketball (3.18%) and SportsCenter (1.26%).

Seven of the top ten programs by auto industry reach in January were sports-related. Auto impressions declined across the major leagues: NFL reach was down by 6.1% year-over-year, college football was down 6.6% and the NBA declined by 23%. 

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions were Chevrolet: This Is Who We Are (3.25%), Buick: Now Is Exceptional (2.89%),  Kia: Built for the Unstoppable (2.67%), GMC: Another Choice (2.29%) and Jeep: Keeping It Fresh (2.05%).

Top automaker ads by likeability according to an iSpot.tv assessment  were Subaru: Dog Tested: Roundabout (+17.4% more likeable than January automotive norm), Hyundai: Epic Mission (+11.3%), Hyundai: Clouds (+8.3%), Nissan: A Truck for Truck Stuff (+6.8%) and Acura: More Bounce (+6.7%).

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent were Audi: Performance Redefined (59%), Cadillac: Inspired by Race (58%), Lexus: Sessions (58%), Acura: Match Your Energy (58%) and Lexus: Worthy (58%).

Of the top five most-seen auto ads, only Buick skipped airing during NFL games — but it did run during a related program, Postseason NFL Countdown. Additional reach came from Will Trent, 20/20 and SportsCenter, according to iSpot.tv.

Hyundai owns two of the most-liked auto ads that debuted in January, including one (“Epic Mission”) that featured actors John Krasinski and John Hoogenakker. This spot also performed above the auto norms for attention, watchability and desire.

Looking at positive purchase intent, Lexus has two of the top ads, both at 58%. For “Sessions,” 23% of surveyed viewers said the music was the “single best thing” about the ad. The other Lexus ad stands out with a brand match of 87%, above the recent industry norm of 77%.