U.S.EDITION

THE2026

INDUSTRY

PULSEREPORT

December2025

STUDYDESIGNANDOBJECTIVES

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT

IntegralAdScience(IAS)partneredwith

YouGov

tosurveyU.S.digitalmediaexpertsfromboththebuy-andsell-sidesto

understandtheirperspectivesonmedia

challengeslyingaheadandopportunitiestheywillseektoharnessin2026.

Inthisannualreport,wedeepdiveintothetrends,technologies,andsolutionsthatwillshapedigitalmediaandadvertisingin2026,directlyfromtopindustryprofessionals.

FIELDDATE

October2025

PARTICIPATION

N=290U.S.digitalmediaexpertswhouse

programmaticadvertising

.Advertisers(n=98)

.Agencies(n=78)

.Publishersandplatforms(n=58)

.AdTech(n=56)

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|2

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|3

THENEXT

CHAPTEROF

DIGITALMEDIA

2026marksaturningpointindigitaladvertising.Astheboundaries

betweenchannelsblur—andAI

reshapeshowcontentiscreated,

consumed,andmeasured—industryexpertsarerede?ningwhatqualitymeansinthisnewera.

Here’swhatmediaexpertsareanticipatingin2026→

.88%ofmediaexpertscitedigitalvideoasatoppriorityoverdisplayandaudio

.87%saybrandsafetyandsuitabilityofthesocial

in?uencer/creatorwillbeanimportantconsiderationwhenadvertisingadjacenttodigitalvideocontent

SOCIALAND

DIGITALVIDEOAREATTHECENTEROFMEDIAEVOLUTION

.61%ofmediaexpertsexpressexcitementwithAI

developmentsindigitalmediaandarelookingforwardtoopportunitiestoadvertisealongsideAIgeneratedcontent

.53%ofmediaexpertsciteadadjacencytocontent

generatedbyAIasatopmediachallengeinthecomingyear

MARKETERSARE

LEANINGINTOAI’SOPPORTUNITIES

DESPITE

CHALLENGES

.Amongmediaqualitymetrics,expertsciteviewability

(85%)andattention(77%)asimportantmediaquality

metricstoevaluatecampaignperformanceonsocialmedia

.83%saythatmeasuringadfraud,viewability,andbrandsuitabilitywillbeimportantinassessingandboosting

campaignperformanceinretailmedianetworks

MEDIAQUALITYISACORNERSTONE

OFPERFORMANCE

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|4

TABLEOFCONTENTS

0l

TOPMEDIA

CHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

05

CONNECTEDTV

02

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

06

RETAILMEDIANETWORKS

03

SOCIALMEDIA

07

LOOKINGAHEADTO2026

04

DIGITALVIDEO

08

ABOUTIAS

01

TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

Asdigitalmediaevolves,advertisersandpublishersalikeare

recognizingthatmarketingopportunities,likethoseonsocialmediaanddigitalvideo,comewithcomplexity.TheriseofgenerativeAI,made-for-advertising(MFA)sites,andrisksofadadjacencyto

unsuitablecontentallthreatenmediaquality.

Theindustry’schallengeliesinbalancingdigitalinnovationwith

control—ensuringeveryimpressiondrivestrustandperformance.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|5

TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

TopDigitalFormats

88%

85%

62%

TOPMEDIAPRIORITIESIN2026

Mediaexpertsare

prioritizingdigitalvideoanddisplayastopdigitalformatswhiledigital

audiolagsbehind

DigitalVideo

DigitalAudio

TopDigitalEnvironments

84%

61%

56%

50%

47%

47%

44%

28%

DigitalDisplay/Image

Socialmediaremainsthetopprioritydigital

environmentamong

mediaexperts,followedbyin?uencermarketing

In?uencerMarketing

Audio

Livestreaming

RetailMediaNetworks

GeneralOpenWeb

Search

Video

Gaming

SocialMedia

Livestreaming

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|6

in

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|7

Q4.Inyouropinion,whichofthefollowingmediatypeswillfaceseriouschallengesacrossthemediaindustryinthenext12months?

TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

MEDIATYPESFACINGTHEBIGGESTCHALLENGES

52%

SOCIALMEDIA

Socialmediacontinuesto

faceseriouschallenges,

especiallyaroundadcontentadjacencieswithpotentiallyincreasingriskycontentonplatforms.

39%

DIGITALVIDEO

Digitalvideocontinuesto

growinvolumeandbecome

increasinglyinterconnected

withsocialmedia.AdjacenciestoAIgeneratedcontentposepotentialthreats.

31%

INFLUENCERMARKETING

36%

DIGITALDISPLAY

Brandsafetyandsuitabilityconcernswithin?uencer

andcreatorcontentarebecomingaunique

challengetotheindustry.

Digitaldisplaycontinuestofacechallenges.Display

advertisingremains

vulnerabletofraudand

made-for-advertising(MFA)sites,aswellasadcontentadjacencies.

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|8

Q3a.Whichofthefollowingwillbemajordigitalmediachallengesforyourorganizationinthenext12months?;Q3b.Whichofthefollowingwillbemajordigitalmediachallengesforyourorganizationinthenext12months?

TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

TOPANTICIPATEDMEDIACHALLENGES

BYCOMPANYTYPE

Brands&AgenciesPublishers&Platforms

69%

50%

40%

Adcontentadjacency

.Deepfakes(32%)

.AIgeneratedcontent(31%)

.In?uencer/creatorcontent(27%)

Adfraudand

made-for-advertisingsites

Abilitytoassess

measurementandoutcomes

39%

38%

39%

Adsdeliveringalongside

riskycontent

Providingscaledaudience

extension;minimizingoverhead

Highcarbonemissionsofprogrammaticadvertising

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|9

Q5.Inyouropinion,whichofthefollowingmediatypesholdthemostpotentialforinnovationandopportunityacrossthemediaindustryinthenext12months?

TOPMEDIACHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIES

MEDIATYPESWITHTHEMOSTPOTENTIALFORINNOVATION

TopMediaTypeswithPotentialforInnovation

46%

SocialMedia

34%

DigitalVideo

32%

DigitalDisplay

30%

In?uencerMarketing

29%

DigitaloutofHome

29%

Mobile

28%

Livestreaming

02

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

GenerativeAIhasshiftedfromexperimentationtoanessentialtool,reshapinghowadvertisersandpublisherscreate,target,andoptimizecontent.

Aswelooktonextyear,generativeAI’spotentialtobringspeed,personalization,andscaletocampaignsundeniable—butitspoweralsointroducesnewrisks.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|10

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|11

GAI1.WiththeincreasinguseofArti?cialIntelligence(AI)indigitalmedia,pleaseselectthestatementsbelowthatdescribeyourthoughtsaboutadvertisingalongsidecontentthatisgeneratedbyAI.

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

MEDIAEXPERTSGENERALLYFEELPOSITIVELYABOUTADVERTISINGNEARGENERATIVEAICONTENT

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Marketerscanexpectanexpandingopportunitytoadvertisealongside

AI-generatedcontent,asindustryexpertsincreasinglyviewtheseenvironmentsas

viableandevenexciting.Still,successwillhingeonpairingthisinnovationwithqualitycontrolstoensureAI-drivenenvironmentsalignwithbrandvalues.

AttitudestowardsAdvertisingAdjacencieswithAIGeneratedContent

IamexcitedabouttheAIdevelopments indigitalmediaandlookforwardto takingadvantageoftheopportunitiestoadvertisewithinAIgeneratedcontent

Iassesstheopportunitiestoadvertise withinAIgeneratedcontentthesamewayIdowithanyothertypesofcontent

Idon’tmindadvertisingwithinAIgeneratedcontentaslongasitissafeandsuitableformybrand

61%

45%

28%

2%

IwillnotconsideradvertisingwithinAIgeneratedcontentanddonotwantmyadsrunningalongsideit

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|12

programmaticadvertising,whichofthefollowingwillrepresentthemostseriousthreatstomediaqualityoverthenext12months?;GAI1.WiththeincreasinguseofArti?cialIntelligence(AI)indigitalmedia,pleaseselectthestatementsbelowthatdescribeyourthoughtsaboutadvertisingalongsidecontentthatisgeneratedbyAI.

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

NONETHELESS,MEDIAEXPERTSAREAPPROACHINGWITHCAUTION,ANDAREDISCERNINGOF

ADJACENCIESTOUNSUITABLEGENAICONTENT

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

DespitegrowingenthusiasmforAI,theriseofunsuitableorunveri?edAI-generated

contentincreasesreputationalrisk,makingbrandsafetyandsuitabilitymoreessentialthanever.Adoptingaclearsuitability

frameworkandprioritizingmedia

transparencyiskeytocon?dentlycapitalizeonAI-drivenopportunities.

46%

ofmediaexpertscite

thatincreasinglevelsofAIgeneratedcontent

notsuitableforbrands

andadadjacencytothiscontentisaserious

threattomediaquality

36%

ofmediaexpertsarecautiousabout

advertisingwithinAI

generatedcontentandwilltakeextra

precautionsbeforedoingso

53%

ofmediaexpertsciteadadjacencytocontent

generatedbyAIasatopmediachallengeinthecomingyear

Q3a.Whichofthefollowingwillbemajordigitalmediachallengesforyourorganizationinthenext12months?;Q6.Thinkingonlyabout

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|13

GAI2.PleaseselectwhichtypesofAIgeneratedcontentwouldbesuitableforyourbrandtobeadjacenttoandwhichtypesyourbrandwouldavoid?

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

GENAICONTENTTHATCONTAINSINACCURATEINFORMATIONORPROVIDESACLUTTEREDUSEREXPERIENCERANKSHIGHESTAMONGCONTENTTHATMEDIAEXPERTSWOULDAVOID

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

NotallAI-generatedcontentiscreated

equal,andmarketerswillneedtodistinguishbetweenhigh-andlow-quality

environmentsasAIproductiongrows.

PrioritizingAIclassi?cationtoolsandrobustavoidancestrategieswillhelpensurebrandsmaintaintrustwhilestillbene?tingfrom

AI-enabledreach.

GenAIContentUnsuitableforBrands

Unsure

Avoid

Suitable

Contentthatcontainsinaccurateinformationorhallucinations

32%

9%

59%

Contentthatprovidesanad-spammyorcluttereduserexperience

34%

10%

56%

Contentthatcomesfromunknownorrecentlyregistereddomainswithnoveri?ableeditorialteam

35%

13%

52%

Contentthatattracts

non-human,bottraffic

39%

11%

51%

Contentthatregurgitatesorplagiarizesexistingcontent

40%

11%

49%

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|14

THERISEOF

GENERATIVEAI

TAKEACTION

CONTEXTCONTROLAVOIDANCE

AvoidcontentyoudeemriskyorunsuitablewithIAS’sContext

ControlAvoidancesolution,whichleveragesourindustry-leading

semanticintelligenceengine.

MADE-FOR-ADVERTISING

ANDADCLUTTERAVOIDANCE

AvoidallMFAandadcluttersitesasidenti?edbyIAS'sAI-drivenMFAsiteclassi?cationtechnology.

OurMFAmeasurementandoptimizationmodelsupportstheANA'sde?nitionofMFAandhasbeentrainedagainstJounceMedia’swidelyadoptedlistofMFAdomains,

resultingintheindustry’s?rstpressure-testedsolutionfordetectingandblockingMFAatscale.

03

SOCIALMEDIA

Socialmediaremainsattheheartofdigitalmedia,

fuelingculturalconversationsandshapingconsumerdecisions.It’salsooneofthemostinnovativedigital

environments,asin?uencermarketing,in-feedvideo,andgenerativeAIcontentcontinuetogrowandthrive.

In2026,advertisersarescrutinizingtheenvironmentswheretheirmessagesappear,seekingbrand-safe

spacesthatbothfosterconsumertrustandenhancebrandrelevancy.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|15

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|16

Q9.Thinkingaboutin-feedsocialmedia,inthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements*Source:“Globaladspendingnowestimatedtorise7.4%,WARC’s?rstpositiverevisioninoverayear,”eMarketer,September2025.

SOCIALMEDIA

MEASURINGMEDIAQUALITYONSOCIALMEDIAWILLREMAINIMPORTANTINENSURING

MediaQualityConsiderationsonSocialMedia

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Mediaqualitywillcontinuetobeastapleindigitalenvironments—especiallyonsocialmedia.Withanexpected14.9%growthinadspendonsocialmediatoreach$306.4billionin2026*,mediaquality

measurementisessentialtounderstandingwhichplacementsaredrivingimpactandhowtooptimize.

ADVERTISINGMADEANIMPACT

Viewabilityisanimportantmetricwhenassessingsocialmediacampaigns

85%

Measuringattentiononsocialmedia

adswillbeimportanttoevaluatecampaignperformance

77%

Insufficienttransparencyinterms

ofmediaqualitymetricswithin

socialmediaplatformswill

negativelyimpactmediaspend

70%

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|17

Q9.Thinkingaboutin-feedsocialmedia,inthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements*Source:”Creatoradspendingissettohit$37billionthisyear,”BusinessInsider,November2025.

SOCIALMEDIA

INFLUENCERMARKETINGISBECOMING

INCREASINGLYIMPORTANTINSOCIALMEDIA

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

In?uencermarketingisgrowing4xasfastastheoverallmediaindustry.*

Withgrowthcomeschallenges,and

ensuringanin?uencerandtheircontentisbrandsafeandsuitablewillbecriticalforbrandstofeelcomfortableadvertisingintheseenvironmentsin2026.

82%

ofmediaexpertssaybrandsafetyandsuitabilityofthein?uencer/creatorwillbeanimportantconsideration

whenadvertisingadjacenttosocialcontent

78%

ofmediaexpertsagree

in?uencermarketingwill

becomeanincreasingly

importantpartofsocial

mediaadvertisingstrategies

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|18

Q9.Thinkingaboutin-feedsocialmedia,inthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

SOCIALMEDIA

INCREASINGGENAICONTENTONSOCIALMEDIAISASIGNIFICANTCONCERN

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

WithAI-generatedcontentrapidly

acceleratingacrosssocialplatforms,

marketersmustevolvetheirbrandsafetyandsuitabilitystrategiestoprotectbrandintegrity.

Ensuringadsappearinsafe,transparent

environmentswillbeakeydifferentiatorforperformancein2026.

IncreasinglevelsofAIgeneratedcontentinsocialmediawillbeasigni?cantconcernandwillneedtobemonitored

83%

84%

Thirdpartymeasurementandoptimizationwillbe

importantinidentifyingandclassifyingAIgeneratedcontentwithintheplatform

81%

Thirdpartymeasurementandoptimizationwillbe

importanttoavoidadvertisingadjacenttodeepfakesonsocialmediaplatforms

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|19

SOCIALMEDIA

TAKEACTION

SOCIALOPTIMIZATION

IASpartnerswiththetopsocialmediaandvideoplatformstoprovideSocialOptimization—asolutionthatputscustomized,

in-the-momentsuitabilityinyourhands,protectingyourbrandfromsocialcontentyoudeemunsuitablewhilereducingwasteandimprovingcampaignperformance.

ADJUSTINREAL-TIME

Getmore?exibilitywhenyouneedit.SocialOptimizationputsthe

powerinyourhandstomakereal-timeadjustmentstoyoursocialcampaignsbasedon

actionableIASreporting.

VALIDATE

CAMPAIGNS

SIMULTANEOUSLY

PairwithTotalMediaQualitymeasurementformedia

qualitymetricsthatproveyouroptimizationisworkingasintended.

CUSTOMIZEFORYOURBRAND

ActivatecustomSocial

Optimizationinclusionand

exclusionlistsbasedonindustrystandardandcontextual

suitabilitycategories.

04

DIGITALVIDEO

Digitalvideoiscontinuingitsexplosivegrowth,

commandingconsumerattentionacrossmobileandsocialfeeds.Marketersaredoublingdownonthis

formatforitsmassivereachandmeasurableimpact.

Lookingahead,viewabilityandbrandsafetyofad

placementsinthisformatwillremaincriticaltodrivingtransparencyacrosseveryscreen.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|20

DIGITALVIDEO

BRANDSAFETYANDSUITABILITYOFDIGITALVIDEOCONTENTWILLBEIMPERATIVE—

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Asvideospendgrows,marketersmustlevelupbrandsafetycontrols—especiallywhenworkingwithcontentthatvariesinqualityandsuitability.Investingintoolsthat

measurecomplexvideoenvironmentsandensureproperplacementwillbecriticaltoprotectingbrandreputation.

84%

ofmediaexpertssaythe

acceleratingconsumption

ofsocialvideoplatformswillcontinuetodrive

programmaticvideoadspend

ESPECIALLYAMONGINFLUENCERS

83%

ofmediaexpertsagreebrandsafetywillbeagrowingconcernasthevolumeofdigitalvideoadsgrow

87%

ofmediaexpertsthinkbrandsafetyand

suitabilityofthe

in?uencer/creatorwillbeanimportant

considerationwhen

advertisingadjacenttodigitalvideocontent

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|21

Q7.Thinkingaboutdigitalvideo(excludingCTV),inthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|22

Q7.Thinkingaboutdigitalvideo(excludingCTV),inthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

DIGITALVIDEO

ASDIGITALCONTENTGROWS,THENEEDFORINNOVATIONINENSURINGMEDIAQUALITYWITHINDIGITALVIDEO

PLATFORMSISESPECIALLYIMPORTANT

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Wouldyouratherseethe?rstandlast

frameofavideoyouradranadjacenttooreverysingleframe?Oneshowstruetransparency,theotheronlycreatesablindspotforyourbrand.

AsAI-generatedvideocontentincreases,third-partymeasurementwillplaya

crucialroleinmaintainingtransparencyandensuringadsruninhigh-qualityvideoenvironments.

Theabilitytoidentify,classify,target,andavoidAI

generatedcontentwillbeneededasthesetypesofcontentbecomesmoreprevalentwithindigitalvideoplatforms

86%

Thirdpartymeasurementandoptimizationwillbeimportanttoavoiddigitalvideoadvertisingadjacenttodeepfakes

82%

Harnessingmachinelearningtodetectandclassify

multimediacontentwillensurethatdigitalvideoadsareplacedinbrandsafeandsuitableenvironments

77%

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|23

DIGITALVIDEO

TAKEACTION

TOTALMEDIAQUALITY

MakesmartercampaigndecisionsandmaximizeeverydollarwithIAS’sTotalMediaQuality—aleadingbrandsafetyandsuitabilitymeasurementsolutionforsocialandvideoplatforms.UsingadvancedAI,TotalMediaQualityanalyzesframe-by-frameimage,audio,andtexttoclassifycontentatscale.

CONSISTENT

METRICSACROSSPLATFORMS

Compareperformanceacrossplatformswithconsistentmetricsandmethodology,enablingyoutomaximize

performanceacrosstheecosystem.

BEST-IN-CLASSTECHNOLOGY

Poweredbyadvancedmachinelearning,

TotalMediaQuality

uses100%AItoprovidethemostaccurate

measurementforthefeed,atscale.

INDUSTRY-ALIGNEDREPORTING

Gainvaluableinsightswithbrandsafetyandsuitabilityreportingalignedtoindustry

standardsfor

actionableinsights.

SUITABILITYTAILOREDTOYOURBRAND

Accesscustombrand

suitabilitymetricsandgraphstailoredtoyourbrandthatallowyoutotakeactionmore

effectively.

05

CONNECTEDTV

ConnectedTVhasestablisheditselfasacornerstoneofmediastrategies,blendingtheimpactoflinearTVwiththeprecisionofdigital.

Asstreamingcompetitionintensi?esandad-supportedmodelsproliferate,advertisersaredemandingclearerinsightsintoperformance,reach,andquality.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|24

CONNECTEDTV

CONCERNFORMEDIAQUALITYINCTVINVENTORYWILLCONTINUETOBEPREVALENT

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

YoumighttrustapremiumCTVstreamingplatform,butwhatifthegenreisrealityTV?Whataboutshow-level:areality

showaboutloversonanisland.Stillokay?

CTVisafast-growingchannel,but

inconsistentinventoryqualityrequires

marketerstoadoptCTV-speci?c

measurementsolutions.Toensuread

spendisprotected,brandsshould

prioritizepartnersthatcanprovidemoretransparencyintothequalityofwhereCTVadsaredelivered.

83%

ofmediaexpertsagreebrandsafetyinCTV

environmentswillbea

growingconcernasthevolumeofCTVinventoryandthenumberofCTVsellersincrease

75%

ofmediaexpertsthinkCTVadsarevulnerabletoparticularlylow

ratesofviewability

83%

ofmediaexpertssayadfraud(e.g.,bots,malware,spoo?ng)willbeagreaterconcernasthevolumeofadsupportedCTV

inventorygrows

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|25

Q8.ThinkingaboutCTVinthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|26

Q8.ThinkingaboutCTVinthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

CONNECTEDTV

CTV-SPECIFICSOLUTIONSWILLBENEEDEDTOADDRESSMEDIAQUALITYCONCERNSINTHISENVIRONMENT

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

AsCTVmatures,unifyingmeasurementandoptimizationacrossdigitalchannelsisessentialtoensureconsistentmedia

qualityandcampaignperformance.

Establishingaholistic,quality-driven

frameworkenablesadvertiserstoachieveeffectiveplacements,minimizewasteandadfatigue,andmaintainbrand

safety—regardlessofwhereaudiencesengageorwhatscreentheyuse.

Thirdpartymeasurementandoptimizationwillbe

importanttoavoidadvertisingadjacenttodeepfakes

83%

Itwillbecriticalformediameasurementand

optimizationplatformstohelpadvertisersavoidCTVadfrequencyoverload

83%

Itwillbecriticalforadvertiserstointegratecross-platformtargetingandtrackingintoCTVcampaigns

81%

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|27

CONNECTEDTV

PRE-ANDPOST-BID

TAKEACTION

CTVVIDEOFILTERING

AsCTVadvertisingcontinuestogrow,sodothreatsthatcompromisecampaigneffectivenessandwastebudgets.Withoutproperprotection,yourbrandfacesexposuretoinvalidtraffic,geo-targetingviolations,andbrandsafetyrisksthatcanundermineyourentireadvertising

strategy.IAS’sPost-BidCTVVideoFilteringkeepsyouprotected.

CTVFRAUDPRE-BID

Automatically

optimizeawayfrombadactorssoyou

cancon?dentlybidonpremiumCTVinventorydeliveredtorealhumans.

PRE-BID

INVALIDTRAFFIC(IVT)

Avoidbottraffic,

fraudulent

impressions,non

humaninteractions.

OUT-OF-GEOTRAFFIC

Avoidimpressionsfromgeographic

locationsoutsideofcampaigntargeting.

APP

EXCLUSIONS

Avoidtrafficfromappsspeci?callyexcludedby

advertiser

requirements.

POST-BID

06

RETAILMEDIANETWORKS

Retailmedianetworkshaveevolvedfromanemergingchanneltoapowerhouseofdigitalcommerce,connectingbrandsdirectlywithconsumersatthepointofpurchase.

In2026,thesenetworksofferunmatcheddata-drivenprecision,butalsointroducenewchallengesaroundmeasurement,andqualityassurance.

HERE’SWHATTHEEXPERTSTHINK→

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|28

RETAILMEDIANETWORKS

MEDIAQUALITYISWIDELYCONSIDEREDAFACTORINSUCCESSINRETAILMEDIANETWORKS

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Asretailmediabecomesacoreinvestmentchannel,marketersshouldtreatmedia

qualityasafoundationalperformancesignal.Brandsthatbringthesamebestpracticestoretailmediathattheyapplyacrossprogrammaticcangaina

competitiveadvantagein2026.

83%

ofmediaexpertsagreemeasuringadfraudisanimportantmetricto

evaluatecampaignperformance

83%

ofmediaexpertssaybrandsuitabilitywillbeanimportant

strategytoboostcampaign

performance

83%

ofmediaexpertsciteviewabilityasan

importantmetricforevaluatingcampaignperformance

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|29

Q10.Thinkingaboutretailmedianetworksinthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

THE2026INDUSTRYPULSEREPORT|30

Q10.Thinkingaboutretailmedianetworksinthenext12months,pleaseindicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements

RETAILMEDIANETWORKS

GENAIANDINFLUENCERCONTENTISBECOMING

ACONSIDERATIONFORADADJACENCYONRETAILMEDIANETWORKS

WHATTHISMEANSFORMARKETERS

Retailmediaisrapidlyexpandingoffsite—andthisinventoryisn’timmunetotherisksweseeontheopenweb.WouldakidstoybrandwanttoappearnearanR-rated

moviereview?Probablynot.

Implementingthird-partymeasurementincreasestransparencysobrandscan

avoidunsuitableenvironments.Takinga

proactiveapproachcandriveincrementalgrowth,maximizeROI,andfuture-proofretailmediainvestmentsastheseformatsexpand.

Brandsafetyandsuitabilityofanin?uencer/creatorw