Estimated national linear
TV spending by automakers in August declined 15.4% compared to a year ago, leading to a 14.8% drop year to date.
Automakers spent $72.5 million in August 2026 compared to
$85.7 million in August 2025, according to iSpot.tv.
Year-to-date spending in 2026 tallied $1.1 billion compared to $1.3 billion in the same period in 2025.
Household TV ad impressions were down 20.2% in August year over year (14.2 billion compared to 17.8 billion).
Year-to-date impressions through August are down 16% (118.8
billion compared to 141.5 billion.
The top five brands by estimated national linear TV ad spending were Kia ($10.5 million), Mercedes-Benz ($8 million), Lexus ($6.5 million),
Toyota ($6.2 million) and Hyundai ($5.2 million).
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NFL preseason games accounted for over 22% of total auto industry outlay in August. All of the top five automakers invested, to
some extent, in the NFL, the MLB and the WNBA.
Sports-related programming accounted for seven of the top 10 programs by auto reach in August. WNBA reach increased by 126% vs. August
2025, while NFL impressions were up 35%
“Sports remained a significant driver of automaker reach in August, with the WNBA in particular seeing notable year-over-year
impression increases,” Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president of media partnerships at Spot.tv tells Marketing Daily. “At the same time, automotive brands looked
to connect with diverse audiences, growing reach across Spanish-language networks – with Universo, UniMás and Discovery en Español posting double- and triple-digit gains in auto
impressions year-over-year.”
Outside of sports, the leaders by automaker spend were "Today" (1.41% spend SOV), "House Hunters" (1.21%) and "Top Chef VIP" (0.93%).
"House Hunters" was the top show by spend for both Kia (3.66% spend SOV) and Mercedes-Benz (4.71%).
The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions
were Toyota (11.95%), Kia (10.34%), Ford (8%), Chevrolet (7.09%) and Lexus (6.36%), according to iSpot.tv.
The top five brands by share of voice on streaming were Lexus (8.48%),
Chevrolet (7.82%), Hyundai (7.80%), Toyota (7.77%) and Volkswagen (7.76%).
The top programs for automakers by share of household TV ad impressions were MLB (8.59%), NFL (4.10%),
WNBA (3.90%), PGA Tour golf (3.04%) and SportsCenter (1.48%).
iSpot’s advanced audience ranker showcases the programs reaching the highest share of households interested in
buying a new car. These consumers watched at least one hour of live national linear TV in August.
The top programs most likely to reach auto intenders were MLB (20.08%), NFL
(19.56%), PGA Tour golf (13.45%), "ABC World News Tonight With David Muir" (12.19%) and "SportsCenter" (11.74%).
The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions
was Mercedes-Benz: Welcome Home Celebration Companion (5.00%); Kia: A Real SUV (3.61%), Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America: Five Years (2.87%), Toyota: Tailgate (2.54%) and Hyundai: Disguise (2.46%).
The top automaker ads by likeability were Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America: Five Years (+5.2% more likeable than the August auto
average), Nissan: Ready To Dominate (+4.4%), Honda: The Right Vehicles For Where You’re Headed (+3.3%), Honda: Ready, Set, Summer: Accord (+3.3%) and Nissan: Really Pushes These Cars (+3.2%).
The top automaker ads by positive purchase
intent were Chevrolet: The Heartbeat of America: Five Years (60%), Honda:
The Right Vehicles For Where You’re Headed (57%), Nissan: Ready To Dominate (56%), Honda: Ready, Set, Summer: Accord (56%) and Nissan: Really Pushes These Cars (54%).
Chevrolet’s “The Heartbeat of
America: Five Years” was a standout in August. It was the No. 3 most-seen ad, and led auto ads for both likeability and positive purchase intent.
In addition to likeability,
the spot scored above the auto norm for attention, relevance and information, with 12% of viewers saying the deal on offer (zero percent financing on the ’26 Silverado 1500) was the
“single best thing” about the ad.