2026 IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report: Part One (IAB U.S.)

The 2026 IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report: Part One provides a comprehensive view into the evolving U.S. TV and digital video marketplace, highlighting where ad dollars are flowing, what’s driving growth, and how AI is reshaping the future of video.

The 2026 IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report: Part One provides a comprehensive view into the evolving U.S. TV and digital video marketplace, highlighting where ad dollars are flowing, what’s driving growth, and how AI is reshaping the future of video. Please note this report contains data specific to the U.S.

This first release focuses on market dynamics and growth trends across CTV, social video, and online video. The findings reveal that U.S. digital video ad spend is projected to surpass $80B in 2026, growing 11% year-over-year - nearly 20% faster than the total ad market - and accounting for more than 60% of total TV/video ad spend for the first time.
Powered by advancements in AI, increased investment in the creator economy, and continued evolution in streaming, digital video is entering a new phase of maturity - one defined by performance, precision, and scalability.

Key insights from this report: 

• Digital video ad spend will surpass $80B in 2026, continuing to outpace the broader ad market.
• AI is moving from experimental to operational, transforming planning, buying, creative, and measurement workflows.
• AI adoption varies by company size, with smaller advertisers leaning into creative optimisation and larger ones focusing on inventory discovery and scale.
• Social video is outpacing CTV growth for the first time, driven by AI-powered personalization and creator-led content.
• Targeting has overtaken content quality as the top factor in media investment decisions.
  
  

Part two, to be released on July 14th at the 2026 IAB U.S.  Video Leadership Summit, will explore the strategic decisions and frameworks shaping how buyers and sellers are capitalizing on this growth.

Whether you’re a brand, agency, publisher, or platform, this report is designed to help you understand the forces shaping digital video today -  and how to navigate what’s coming next as AI, data, and performance expectations redefine the ecosystem.

Thank you to the team at IAB U.S. for their permission to share this valuable resource. 

IAB New Zealand Members can download the full report via this link

For further information or to become an IAB New Zealand Member, please get in touch.