IASHU.S.EDITIONTHE2026NDUSTRYPULSEREPORTDecember2025
STUDYDESIGNANDOBJECTIVESTHE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORIFIELDDATEIntegralAdScience(AS)partnerediwithOctober2025YouGovtosurveyU.S.digital mediaexpertsfromboththe buy-andsellsides toPARTICIPATIONunderstand their perspectives on mediaN=290U.S.digitalmediachallengeslyingahead andopportunitiestheyexpertswhouseprogrammaticwillseektoharnessin2026advertisingAdvertizers(n#98)In this annual report, we deep dive into theAgencies(n#78)trends, technologles, and solutions thatwilPblshersandplatforms(n58shape digital media and advertising in 2026AdTech(n#56)directly from top industry professionals,IASH
THENEXTSOCIALAND88%ofmediaexpertsctedigitalvdeoasatoppriorityover display and audioDIGITALVIDEOARECHAPTEROFATTHECENTEROF87%saybrandsofety andswultoablltyofthesocldMEDIAEVOLUTIONinfivencercreatorwillbeanimportantconsiderationDGITALMEDIAwhenadvertisinaadacenttodiaitavideocontent2026marksaturningpointindigitaladvertlising.Astheboundariesbetweenchannelsblur-andAlMARKETERSARE61Kofmediaexpertsexpressexcilementwith.ALEANINGINTOAI'Sdevelopments indigitalmedia andarelookingforwardtoapportunitiestoadvertisealongsideAlgeneratedcontentconsumed,andmeasured-industryOPPORTUNITIESexperts areredefining what qualityDESPITE55%ofmedaexpertsdteadadjacency tocontenCHALLENGESgeneratedbyAlasatopmediachallengelinthecomingyearHere'swhatmediaexpertsareanticipatingin2026+MEDIAQUALITYISAmongmedaquallymetrics, expertscitevlewobillty(85%)andattention(77%)as important media qualityACORNERSTONEmetricstoevaluatecampaignperformanceonsocialmediaOFPERFORMANCE83%saythat measuring adfroud, ilewoblity, and brandsuitabilitywilbelmportant in assessing and boostingcampdignperformanceinretailmedianetworksIASH
TABLEOFCONTENTSO10203TOPMEDIATHERISEOFSOCIALDIGITALCHALLENGESANDGENERATIVEAIMEDIAVIDEOOPPORTUNITIES05CONNECTEDRETAILMEDIALOOKINGAHEADABOUTIASTVNETWORKSTO2026IAS元THE2026INDUSTRYPULSERBPORT|4
01TOPMEDIACHAIENGESANDOPPORTUNITIESAsdiaitalmedia evolves. advertisers and publishers alike arerecognizing that marketing opportunities, like those onsocialmedidand diaital video. come witth complexity. The rise of generative Almade-for-advertising (MFA)sites, and risks of ad adjacency tounsuitable content all threaten media qualityThe industry's challenge lies in balancing digital innovation withcontrol-ensuringeveryimpressiondrivesfrustandperformance,HERE'SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK>IAS
TOPMEDIAPRIORITIESIN2026TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIESTopDigitalFormatsMediaexpertsareprioritizingdigitalvideo88%85%anddisplayastopdigitall62%formatswhilediaitalaudio lags behindDigitalVideoDigitalDisplay/ImageDigitalAudioTopDigitalEnvironmentsSocialmedia remainsthe84%top priority digitalenvironment among61%56%50%47%media experts,followed47%44%28%byinfluencermarketingIAS
MEDIATYPESFACINGTHEBIGGESTCHALLENGESTOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES口口石口52%39%36%31%SOCIALMEDIADIGITALMIDEODIGITALDISPLAYINFLUENCERMARKETINGSocialmediacontinuestoDigitalvideocontinuestoDigita displaycontinuestoBrandsafetyandsuitabilityfaceseriouschallenges,growinvolumeandbecomefacechallenges. Displayconcernswith influencerespecially around ad contentincreasinglyinterconnectedadverfisingremainsand creatorcontentareadjacencies...
