• by Tanya Gazdik , 7 hours ago

Automakers spent an estimated $131.9 million in April on national linear TV, down 18% year over year vs. $160.8 million in April 2025, according to iSpot.tv. 

Year-to-date spending is also down 20%. Spending so far this year totals $751.7 million compared to $940.6 million in the same period in 2025. 

Household TV ad impressions also fell in April to 15.7 billion (down 7% year over year) compared to 16.8 billion in April 2025. Year-to-date household TV ad impression totaling 59.9 billion are down 18.4% compared to 73.4 billion in April 2025, per iSpot.tv. 

Luxury brands topped the list of the top five brands by estimated national linear TV ad spending: Lexus ($13.7 million), Mercedes-Benz ($12.2 million), Ford ($10.3 million), Subaru ($9.7 million) and Kia ($9.6 million).

Men’s college basketball (Final Four, National Championship) accounted for over 24% of auto industry spend in April, followed by the NBA, with 14.22% of spend, according to iSpot.tv.

Top non-sports-related programming by estimated spend  included La casa de los famosos (1.60%), Marshals (0.91%) and Hermanas, un amor compartido (0.60%) – in part showing brands’ continued interest in Spanish-language programming.

Lexus (23.30% spend Share Of Voice) and Ford (55.54%) prioritized budget toward men’s college basketball games, while Mercedes went big on the Masters Tournament (68.46% of its monthly spend). Subaru mostly skipped the sports to focus on morning news programming, while Kia allocated over 40% of its budget to the NBA. 

“The auto category’s long-standing dedication to live sports remains clear, but the most recent growth story is unfolding across Spanish-language TV,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of media partnerships at iSpot tells Marketing Daily. “Impressions are climbing considerably for Spanish-language networks and programs, providing automakers with an opportunity to expand audiences beyond their traditional playbooks.” 

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions were: Toyota (11.20%), Hyundai (8.78%), Lexus (8.32%), Ford (7.55%) and Chevrolet (6.99%).

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming were Hyundai (10.52%), Jeep (9.21%), Volkswagen (7.47%), Ram Trucks (7.45%) and Toyota (7.34%), per iSpot.tv. 

The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions were  NBA (12.58%), MLB (4.91%), NHL (3.93%), 2026 Masters Tournament (3.31%) and men’s college basketball (3.07%).

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions were: Chevrolet: This Is Who We Are (3.88%), Subaru: Wild at Heart (1.83%), Buick: Now Is Exceptional (1.82%), Nissan: Go Rogue (1.69%) and Toyota: Industry Plants (1.46%).

The top automaker ads by likeability per an iSpot.tv assessment were  Chevrolet: See the USA (+8.6% more likeable than April automotive norm), Toyota: Rugged Attitude Vehicle (+5.1%), Ford: What You Were Meant To (+4.5%), Toyota: Runway-Approved Vehicle (+3.9%) and Toyota: Roam Anywhere Vehicle (+2.9%).

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent per an iSpot.tv assessment were:  Toyota: A Night Out (54%), Nissan: Perfect Family Vehicle (52%), Nissan: Extreme Potholes (51%), Toyota: Buddies (50%) and Toyota: More Choices (50%).

The top programs most likely to reach auto intenders per iSpot’s advanced audience ranker, which showcases the programs reaching the highest share of households interested in buying a new car were NBA (22.13%), 2026 Masters Tournament (17.98%), 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (15.55%), MLB (15.10%) and NHL (13.68%). These consumers watched at least one hour of live, national linear TV in April. 

The top non-sports/news program was “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10.50%), followed by “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (10.04%) and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (10.01%), per iSpot.tv.