Autos, Electronics, Pharma Lead Emmy Advertisers

Audi, Apple, Samsung, Invokana and AARP were the biggest advertisers on Sunday night's Emmy Awards broadcast on ABC, according to an analysis by iSpot.TV.

The awards show featured 86 different commercials from 61 brands with most of the biggest players during the three-hour broadcast coming from the auto, electronic and pharmaceutical category.

ABC used the show to push its fall shows, but according to iSpot, did a little less pushing than usual. Only about 4% of ABC’s inventory went to promos, compared with a norm of about 10%. The shows getting the most promotion from ABC included Speechless, Designated Survivor and Dancing With the Stars.

Arch rivals Samsung and Apple squared off during the Emmys, with Samsung pushing its Virtual Reality products, and Apple promoting both its iPhone and Apple Music. Apple music used ads with CBS late night star James Cordon, who was also a presenter and nominee in the Emmys.

The ads that generated the most social activity across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and search engines were for Cigna, Netflix, Samsung and Apple.

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.