HGTV Delivers Wide Reach for Latest Most-Seen Auto TV Ads

Although sports programming delivered large audiences for several of the most-seen auto TV ads for Oct. 21-27, there was something else they had in common: HGTV, which drove impressions for all five of the week’s most-seen ads, per iSpot.tv — and was actually the No. 1 network by national TV ad impressions for three of the five spots on the ranking.

While Ram Trucks’ first-place spot (167.6 million national TV ad impressions) did air on HGTV during the week, football was the main driver of reach. College football games delivered nearly 18% of the spot’s total impressions, followed by NFL games (16%) and The NFL Today (4%). According to iSpot’s Creative Assessment, this commercial had a notable 93% brand match (the percentage of survey respondents who remembered it was a Ram Trucks ad after watching it), above the recent automaker industry norm of 79%.

The No.2 spot from Mercedes-Benz went big on college football, with games accounting for 34% of its 156 million national TV ad impressions. Looking at top networks, HGTV delivered twice as much reach as ABC — 32% of impressions vs. 16%. Outside of college football, top programming included House Hunters (7%), House Hunters International (6%) and My Lottery Dream Home (6%).

With 120.7 million national TV ad impressions, Infiniti’s “Audio Zones” takes third place. A quarter of those impressions came from airings on HGTV, with Hallmark generating another 12%, followed by Magnolia Network (7%). Looking at specific programming, House Hunters led (9% of impressions), while Home Town and NHL games both delivered around 6%. 

A commercial for the 2025 Kia K4 takes fourth place with 102.4 million national TV ad impressions. Although it did air several times during college football games, programming in other genres delivered the widest reach, led by The Voice (11% of impressions), FBI: Most Wanted (5%) and Poppa’s House (4%). HGTV was the No. 1 network, accounting for 14% of the spot’s total impressions.

Subaru rounds out the ranking with a spot that tugs on the heartstrings. As the aftermath of a bad car crash plays on screen, a woman declares (in voiceover), “The moment I loved our Subaru Outback most was the moment they walked away from it.” (“They” refers to her husband and daughter, who are shown unscathed.) Per iSpot’s Creative Assessment, 35% of survey respondents said the message was the “single best thing” about the ad, and “heartfelt” was one of the top emotions/reactions cited by viewers. 

HGTV ranked fourth for network reach (7% of the Subaru spot’s total 88.7 million national TV ad impressions), while broadcast networks delivered the largest audiences, with NBC accounting for 20% of impressions, followed by CBS and ABC (both delivering 10%). On the programming side of things, college football, Dancing With the Stars and Today each generated about 7% of the ad’s total impressions. 

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1. Ram Trucks: The Calling: Blessed 

Impressions: 167,586,503  

Interruption Rate: 3.11%

Attention Index: 121

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $2,141,235

2. Mercedes-Benz: SUV for U

Impressions: 155,969,742   

Interruption Rate: 4.23%

Attention Index: 77

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $1,461,328

3. Infiniti: Audio Zones

Impressions: 120,708,490   

Interruption Rate: 2.04%

Attention Index: 72

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $614,826

4. Kia: Stares

Impressions: 102,387,020   

Interruption Rate: 5.61%

Attention Index: 62

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $1,154,304

5. Subaru: The Moment

Impressions: 88,685,792 

Interruption Rate: 5.95%

Attention Index: 56

Est. National TV Ad Spend: $825,198

Data provided by iSpot.tv, The New Standard for TV Ad Measurement

TV Impressions - Total TV ad impressions delivered for the brand or spot.

Interruption Rate - The percentage of devices that were present at the beginning of the ad but did not complete watching the ad. Actions that interrupt ad play include changing the channel, pulling up the guide, fast-forwarding or turning off the TV. The Interruption Rate is measured on a scale of 0 to 100%.

Attention Index - A comparison of the ad’s interruption rate against its specific media placement. The Attention Index is measured on a scale of 0 to 200, where 100 is the average and means the ad is performing as expected.
Est. National TV Spend - Amount spent on TV airings for the brand’s spots.