Are you all stocked for any of the Trick-or-Treaters coming your way tomorrow? Or are you preparing a November 1st trip to the store for some discounted candy. With Halloween just one day away, candy brands are wrapping up one of their biggest advertising periods of the year. So far in 2026, AdImpact has tracked more than 1.3M broadcast airings and 9.8B CTV impressions from candy advertisers.
Candy advertising closely follows the holiday calendar, with Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween driving seasonal increases in ad activity. However, 2026 has brought a different advertising landscape. Despite the climbing price of the sweet treats, broadcast airings and CTV impressions are down year over year, several brands have shifted positions in the rankings, and Reese's has emerged as the leading candy advertiser across both platforms.
Candy Advertising Declines Across Broadcast and CTV
Candy advertisers have seemingly reduced their advertising volume across both broadcast and CTV in 2026. Through October 30, broadcast airings are down 25% compared to the same period in 2025, falling from 1.80M to 1.35M. Airings are also down 21% from 2024, when advertisers aired 1.7M broadcast spots.
CTV has experienced a similar decline, with impressions falling 19% year over year, from 12.1B to 9.8B.
Unlike categories under the broader food and beverage category where CTV impression growth has accompanied declining broadcast activity, candy advertising has contracted across both platforms. The decline suggests that candy advertisers are not simply shifting their advertising volume from traditional television to streaming.
Valentine's Day and Easter Drive Early-Year Advertising
Valentine's Day consistently produces the first major surge in candy advertising each year. In 2026, broadcast airings increased 97% from January to February, compared to increases of 111% in 2025 and 58% in 2024.
CTV followed a similar pattern, with impressions increasing 53% from January to February in 2026, following a 95% increase during the same period in 2025.
Easter drives another significant increase in advertising activity, although the timing of the holiday influences when brands ramp up their campaigns.
With Easter falling on April 5 this year, March was the largest month for candy advertising across both broadcast and CTV, generating 173.5K broadcast airings and 1.46B CTV impressions.
In 2025, when Easter fell on April 20, CTV impressions peaked in April at 1.74B. Broadcast advertising peaked a month earlier, with 271.6K airings in March, the highest monthly total for candy advertisers since the beginning of 2024.
Halloween Advertising Sees a Smaller Seasonal Surge This Year
Halloween has historically been another major advertising period for candy brands. In 2024, October was the category's largest broadcast month, with 257.2K airings, a 76% increase over September.
In 2025, October broadcast airings increased 24% from September, while CTV impressions climbed 43% to 1.23B.
This year's Halloween advertising activity has been more subdued. Through October 30, candy advertisers have aired 138.1K broadcast spots in October, compared to 144.9K in September. CTV impressions have followed a similar trend, with 960.9M impressions in October compared to 970.3M the previous month.
While October's final totals will increase slightly once we get the full month of October, the data so far indicates a considerably smaller seasonal surge than in previous years.
Reese's Leads Candy Advertising Across Broadcast and CTV
Reese's has emerged as the leading candy advertiser across both broadcast and CTV in 2026. After claiming the top broadcast position in 2025, the brand has maintained its lead this year with 151.0K broadcast airings and 2.4B CTV impressions.
Reese's alone accounts for nearly one-quarter of all candy CTV impressions tracked this year.
Brands within the Hershey portfolio have established a particularly strong presence on CTV. Reese's, Hershey's, and KitKat collectively account for roughly 40% of all candy CTV impressions in 2026.
Premium chocolate brands have also maintained a strong streaming presence. Lindt Chocolate ranks third in CTV impressions, while Ghirardelli ranks fourth despite placing 10th in broadcast airings.
Werther's Originals has taken a different approach, ranking second in broadcast airings without appearing among the top five candy advertisers on CTV.
In total, on broadcast, Reese’s leads all candy advertisers in 2026 with 151.0K airings. Werther’s Originals (91.3K), Hershey’s (72.4K), KitKat (57.5K), and Haribo (42.5K) round out the top five. On CTV, Reese’s again ranks first with 2.4B impressions, nearly a quarter of all candy CTV impressions, followed by Hershey’s (1.0B), Lindt Chocolate (998M), Ghirardelli (534M), and KitKat (484M).
These differences highlight how candy brands are approaching broadcast and streaming advertising with varying levels of emphasis.
Reese's Rise and Changes in the Broadcast Rankings
The candy advertising leaderboard has undergone significant changes since 2024. Only seven brands have maintained a position among the top ten broadcast advertisers in each of the past three years: Hershey's, KitKat, Reese's, M&M's, Haribo, Lindt Chocolate, and Ghirardelli.
Reese's has experienced one of the most significant increases in broadcast activity. The brand ranked third in 2024 with 70.4K airings before more than tripling its volume to 247.8K in 2025, claiming the top position. Reese's has maintained that ranking in 2026.
Hershey's has moved in the opposite direction, falling from first in 2024 to second in 2025 and third in 2026.
Werther's Originals is one of this year's biggest movers. After recording 23.8K broadcast airings in 2024 and no airings in 2025, the brand has returned with 91.3K airings in 2026, placing second overall.
Cadbury has also entered the top ten, ranking eighth with 27.4K airings, already exceeding its full-year 2025 total of 17.6K. Sour Patch Kids climbed from ninth to seventh, with 39.0K airings so far this year compared to 23.0K throughout all of 2025.
Several brands have also dropped out of the top ten. Twizzlers and York fell out after 2024, when they recorded 39.4K and 36.8K airings, respectively. Both saw their broadcast activity fall to nearly zero in 2025.
Snickers and Kinder Chocolate dropped out of the rankings in 2026, while M&M's slipped from fifth to ninth.
Will Holiday Advertising Close the Gap?
With Halloween coming to an end, candy advertisers are approaching their final major seasonal advertising period of the year.
In November and December 2025, candy advertisers generated 2.63B CTV impressions, accounting for nearly 18% of the category's full-year total. Broadcast advertising has also seen significant holiday activity, with December 2024 generating 236.0K airings, the second-highest monthly total that year.
The coming months will reveal whether candy advertisers increase their activity enough to narrow the year-over-year gap or whether 2026 finishes with lower advertising volume across both broadcast and CTV.
As brands shift their focus from Halloween to the winter holidays, AdImpact will continue monitoring seasonal advertising trends, changes in the candy advertiser rankings, and whether Reese's maintains its lead across both platforms.
