• by Tanya Gazdik , 7 hours ago

Automakers spent nearly the same on estimated national linear TV spending in February 2026 ($151.7 million) as they did a year ago ($152.7 million) according to iSpot.tv. 

Estimated year-to-date spending for the first two months of the year totalled $457.2 million (down 7.7% YoY) compared to $495.1 million for the first two months of 2025. 

February 2026 Household TV Ad Impressions totaled 15.1 billion (down 11.7% YoY) compared to 17.1 billion in February 2025, per iSpot.tv. 

The top five brands by estimated national linear TV ad spending for the month were Toyota ($28.5 million),  Honda ($21 million), Kia ($14.3 million), Volkswagen ($13.6 million) and Subaru ($10.8 million).

Over 35% of total auto industry spend in February went toward the Olympics, with the NFL — largely from the Super Bowl — in second place (20.05%), followed by the NBA (6.58%), according to iSpot.tv.

Top non-sports-related programming by outlay included the 68th Annual Grammy Awards (1.93%), "House Hunters" (0.72%) and "Survivor" (0.63%). 

Three of the top five brands advertised during the Olympics — Toyota, Honda and Kia — and two of the five also aired ads during Super Bowl LX (Toyota and Volkswagen), per iSpot.tv.

Sports once again dominated for automaker reach in February, led by the Olympics. "House Hunters" was the top non-sports program by impressions (1.18%), followed by "The Big Bang Theory" (1.10%) and "Today" (1.02). 

“The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics gave automakers a prime opportunity to connect with large, highly engaged audiences in February, and several brands leaned in with Olympic-themed creative celebrating Team USA,” said Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of edia partnerships at iSpot.tv. “But beyond the sports spotlight, a number of reality programs also posted year-over-year gains, pointing to a more consistent, year-round opportunity for brands to engage viewers at lower CPMs than sports.”

With the Olympics such a big focus during the month, auto reach was down across other major sports: NBA impressions declined by nearly 25% compared to February 2025 and men’s college basketball was down by 41%, while PGA Tour golf saw a 2% decline and NHL impressions dropped 79% year-over-year.

Subaru had the most variety in spend, led by Puppy Bowl XXII (15.86% spend SOV), the 68th Grammy Awards (8.88%), "Today" (3.17%) and "The Big Bang Theory" (2.52%).  

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions were Toyota (11.16%), Chevrolet (8.59%), Ford (8.42%), Hyundai (7.26%) and Kia (7.24%).

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming were Jeep (10.40%), Hyundai (7.96%), Chevrolet (7.59%), Nissan (7.07%) and Ram Trucks (6.41%), per iSpot.tv.

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions were Hyundai: Golf Pro (3.33%), Mercedes-Benz: Parallels (2.91%), Subaru: Everything We Love (2.37%), Acura: Olympics: Crafted for More (2.17%) and Chevrolet: See the USA in Your Chevrolet (2.16%).

The top automaker ads by likeability according to iSpot.tv's assessment were Subaru: Dog Tested: The Chase (+12.5% more likeable than February's automotive norm); Honda: The Power of Dreams (+11.1%); Chevrolet: See the USA in Your Chevrolet (+10.3%); Toyota: Dear All-Wheel Drive: Yours (+9.2%) and Nissan: Go Rogue (+8.4%).

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent according to iSpot.tv were Chevrolet: See the USA in Your Chevrolet (60%); Kia: The Next-Generation Kia Telluride (59%); Toyota: Dear All-Wheel Drive: Yours (58%); Subaru: Dog Tested: The Chase (57%) and Toyota: America Drives Toyota (57%).