CTV is hitting an inflection point—what to watch in 2026
Author: Daniel Spinosa, President, Premion.
2025 was a year of recalibration for streaming TV. Advertisers adapted to new platforms, changing viewing habits and an ecosystem that’s grown more complex with expanding choice and fragmentation. As we head into 2026, new data signals an accelerating marketplace.
Streaming TV advertisers are entering next year with more confidence, larger CTV budgets and clearer expectations for how the channel should perform across the full funnel, according to our new study with Advertiser Perceptions. At the same time, they are asking for greater transparency, more consistent measurement and simpler ways to navigate an increasingly complicated landscape.
Here’s what we uncovered:
Budgets are rising—and by a meaningful margin. Nearly seven in 10 CTV advertisers expect to increase their CTV advertising spend next year. Among those increasing budgets, the average rise is 17%, reinforcing CTV as one of the most resilient and valuable channels in the media mix. Additionally, 25% of that funding will come from overall ad budget growth, with the rest reallocated from other channels—led by linear, digital display, paid search and social media.
Fragmentation remains the top barrier. Even with rising investment, the ecosystem is growing more difficult to navigate. When CTV advertisers were asked which challenges providers must address, fragmentation ranked first, followed by transparency on where ads are running, inconsistent measurement and concerns around ad fraud.
Omnichannel integration is accelerating. More than two in five CTV advertisers completely agree that CTV will accelerate the shift from linear to digital-first buying and become more deeply integrated into omnichannel campaigns. They see CTV playing a bigger role in moving consumers through the journey—signaling a shift from CTV as a standalone medium to a catalyst for omnichannel marketing performance.
AI is seen as the next major unlock—if the industry can deliver. Half of CTV advertisers say AI-driven campaign optimization and better frequency control across platforms would be the most valuable improvements to CTV, yet only one-third feel that meaningful progress on frequency control is likely in 2026. That gap between what advertisers want and what they expect signals both the opportunity and the urgency for the year ahead.
Together, these findings point to an industry that is scaling and maturing—one where expectations are rising, but the upside remains significant. As CTV moves into its next chapter, here’s my take on four developments shaping advertiser expectations and setting the tone for 2026.
SMB adoption will accelerate, increasing the need for smart curation
One of the biggest shifts heading into 2026 is the rapid rise of CTV adoption among small and midsize businesses (SMB). This segment is growing quickly, driven by access to premium content, stronger audience targeting and clearer performance signals. But with that growth comes a greater need for smart curation—reliable access to premium inventory that streamlines buying and keeps campaigns consistent across publishers. Smaller advertisers want simplicity and confidence. They need straightforward access to quality inventory, especially as fragmentation remains their biggest hurdle. As SMB investment expands, pressure will increase to make CTV easier to buy, easier to understand and easier to trust.
CTV will be at the center of omnichannel performance
Advertisers increasingly see CTV not as a standalone channel, but as a core driver of omnichannel performance. Heading into 2026, CTV’s role in sequencing messages across screens, boosting cross-channel efficiency and improving attribution, will only deepen. As the customer journey becomes more fluid, CTV will sit at the center of how advertisers plan, optimize and measure campaigns. This shift will place greater emphasis on unified reporting, consistent metrics and smarter coordination between CTV and the rest of the media plan.
Live sports streaming will open new doors for local and regional advertisers
The continued migration of live sports to streaming may be one of the most transformative forces heading into 2026. Sports have always commanded cultural and commercial influence, but streaming is changing who can participate. For many local and regional advertisers, linear sports were out of reach. Streaming is lowering those barriers, giving hometown advertisers new opportunities to reach highly engaged fans in premium moments. This expanded access is reshaping how advertisers think about connecting with audiences in real time.
AI will move from differentiator to baseline expectation
AI continues to spark high expectations, but it also brings sharper scrutiny. Advertisers want tools that reduce waste, improve targeting, manage frequency and optimize delivery without added complexity. They are looking for AI that improves performance in practical, transparent ways—not as a novelty, but as a standard capability. While the industry may not yet be able to deliver on the full promise of real-time intelligence, it’s clear that AI is becoming a baseline expectation. In 2026, what matters most will be how clearly AI helps drive measurable results.
Advertisers are signaling not just confidence in CTV, but higher expectations for how it should work across the entire media plan. They want better measurement, clearer visibility into where their ads are running and a unified view of CTV’s impact across the full marketing mix. Delivering that experience will require simplicity: more choice, more control and omnichannel measurement that proves results. When that happens, investment follows, making CTV more trusted and more essential than ever in the modern media mix.
About Premion
PREMION is a 16-time award-winning, industry-leading CTV/OTT advertising platform. With the scale to reach streaming TV viewers across all 210 U.S. DMAs, Premion’s platform is purpose-built with a local-first approach, delivering CTV and omnichannel advertising with tailored campaign performance that prioritizes premium content, brand safety, advanced targeting, and measurable outcomes. In 2024, Premion was recognized with the CYNOPSIS Best of the Best Award for Best Ad Targeting Solution and the Digiday Media Award for Best Use of Audience Insights. The company earned “TAG Platinum” status and is certified by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) for Brand Safety, Against Fraud, and Against Malware. For more information, visit www.premion.com
Daniel Spinosa
Daniel Spinosa is president of Premion, an award-winning local CTV/OTT advertising platform. He leads Premion’s strategic direction, operations, and financial performance, driving its rapid growth as a premium CTV advertising leader. With over 20 years of media and finance experience, he has advised media companies and worked with executives and boards on investments, content strategy, deal valuations, and equity financing. Spinosa joined Premion in 2021 as CFO, overseeing finance functions, including planning, accounting, analytics, and strategic partnerships. Previously, he held finance, product, and digital leadership roles at Comcast and spent 12 years at AOL as a senior finance executive. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Washington and Lee University.
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