Automotive estimated national leaner TV
spending was down 16.7% in the first six months of 2026, $978.8 million vs. $1.2 billion in the same period of 2025.
Spending also fell 19.2% in second quarter to $358.9 million
compared to $444.1 million in the same period 2025. June’s estimated spending dipped 8.5% to $116.8 million compared to $127.7 million in June 2025, according to iSpot.tv, the source of all
stats in this post.
Year-to-date household TV ad impressions were down 15.9% to 90.4 billion compared to 107.5 billion in the same period last year. Second-quarter impressions fell
8.7% to 46.2 billion compared to 50.6 billion in 2025. June 2026 household TV ad impressions were down 7.5% to 14.4 billion compared to 15.5 billion in June 2025.
The top five
brands by estimated national linear TV ad spending for the quarter were Lexus ($31.9 million), Kia ($31.9 million), Hyundai ($29.9 million), Volkswagen ($28 million) and Toyota ($27.3 million).
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The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions were Toyota (11.47%), Hyundai (9.34%), Chevrolet (7.74%), Lexus (7.47%) and Subaru (6.71%).
Overall automaker spending was largely concentrated on the NBA (22.3% spend share of voice), with the MLB in a distant second (2.3% SOV). All of the top five automakers aired ads during NBA
games, with Kia leaning in the most — over 55% of its second quarter budget went to the NBA.
These brands also activated around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but to varying
extents. Notably, the Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup generated a larger share of automaker impressions than the English ones (ranked No. 6 by reach), despite having fewer ad airings.
The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions were NBA (12.52%), MLB (5.15%), NHL (3.05%), Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 (2.36%) and PGA Tour Golf (2.01%).
The top programs most likely to reach auto intenders according to iSpot.tv for the quarter were NBA (42.45%), MLB (35.97%), SportsCenter (28.75%), 2026 NBA
Finals (27.29%) and FIFA World Cup 2026 (27.29%).
For June, FIFA World Cup dominated in the top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions: NBA (9.71%)
was followed by Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 (7.76%) *Spanish-language World Cup, FIFA World Cup 2026 (6.38%), MLB (4.97%) and 2026 U.S. Open Golf Championship (3.61%).
The
Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup delivered slightly more reach for automakers vs. English broadcasts, but the NBA still beat both — not surprising, since ad breaks are much more
limited during the World Cup tournament, according to iSpot.tv.
“The World Cup is showing that premium live sports can deliver exceptional scale even with far fewer commercial
opportunities than traditional broadcasts,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of media partnerships at iSpot.tv tells Marketing Daily.
“For automakers, the tournament has generated notable reach across both English- and Spanish-language coverage, while reinforcing that limited inventory can make every ad break more valuable
when creatives are deployed effectively.”
The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions was GMC: THE Truck (2.07%), Kia: FIFA World
Cup: Look Out (1.52%), Chevrolet: This Is Who We Are (1.33%), Chevrolet: Anthem 2.0 (1.32%) and Lexus: Solo (1.21%).
The top automaker ads by likeability were Subaru: Big Love for Subaru (+16.4% more likeable than the Q2 norm),
Jeep: Totally Wild Reviews! (+13.5%), Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America (+9.4%), Honda: Relentless Spirit (+9%) and Jeep: Billy Bass Goes to the River (+8.4%).
The top automaker ads by positive purchase
intent were Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America (63%), Hyundai: Trapped (58%), Chevrolet: Anthem
2.0 (56%), Toyota: Celebrate Anything (55%) and Honda: Relentless Spirit (54%).
Sports provided large reach for all five of the
most-seen auto ads, and all of them aired ads during MLB games in Q2. GMC’s spot emphasized the World Cup the most, airing on both Spanish- and English-language broadcasts.