Our 2026 predictions series rolls on apace, and today we’re looking at the future of the open web. What will our experts predict…?

As the open web prepares to enter a critical new phase in 2026, one theme unites voices across the industry: quality will define success. The days of chasing scale for its own sake are fading, as publishers and advertisers alike shift their focus toward trusted environments, meaningful engagement, and sustainable value creation.

ExchangeWire invited an expert panel of leaders from across publishing, technology, and media to share their predictions for the year ahead. Their collective view points to a more intentional and interconnected ecosystem, where AI amplifies creativity rather than undermines it, and where data-driven decision-making powers more transparent, human experiences. 

From publishers refining direct integrations and adopting server-side monetisation, to advertisers investing in premium video and contextual intelligence, the open web is being rebuilt around clarity and control.

With major legal and competitive shifts on the horizon, 2026 could prove a turning point: the open web is evolving from a descriptor into a differentiator…

"Quality over quantity will shift to a core business requirement."

As AI accelerates content creation and audience behaviour continues to evolve, publishers will face both intensified pressure and meaningful opportunity. The next era will reward those who invest in strong brands, exceptional user experiences, and monetisation strategies built on relevance rather than volume.

Quality over quantity will shift from a guiding principle to a core business requirement, driving sustainable profitability for publishers while delivering more relevant, higher-value contextual ad experiences for both audiences and advertisers.

With major ecosystem shifts on the horizon, such as the potential resolution of the Google AdX case opening the door to fairer competition, publishers will increasingly seek partners capable of elevating their entire business model, not just their tech stack.

At Opti Digital, we envision a future where empowered, data-driven publishers lead the transformation toward a healthier, more resilient open web, while strengthening value for brands through higher-quality, more impactful ad experiences.

Magali Quentel-Reme, CEO, Opti Digital

"Brands that neglect alternative growth areas risk selling themselves short."

In 2026, advertisers will diversify their video budgets, placing greater trust in premium video on the open web. While social networks like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram continue to dominate global video ad spend, brands are increasingly aware of the pitfalls of relying solely on these platforms—especially with mounting concerns over insufficient content moderation, misinformation, and low-quality AI-generated videos. In contrast, premium publisher environments on the open web offer transparency, strong editorial standards, and safer spaces for meaningful brand engagement. 

These environments allow advertisers to connect with consumers in moments that align perfectly with their mindset, leveraging contextually relevant placements for maximum impact. Social networks still offer unrivalled reach and remain an essential component of media plans, but brands that neglect alternative growth areas risk selling themselves short. By putting increased faith in premium open web video, advertisers foster deeper consumer trust and support the ecosystem of quality journalistic content online.

Jess Aylett, Head of Sales UK & International, GumGum

"Publishers will try to move closer to their programmatic demand partners."

O&O publishers will become more creative with their monetisation strategies. We have already seen a few instances with publishers investing tech resource by integrating directly with DSPs via oRTB, bypassing SSPs or their Google AdMob and Amazon TAM integrations whilst not disrupting their PreBid set ups. Others are happy to go back to traditional VAST tag integrations to improve fill rates and yields across their video supply. This will start to become more common as publishers try to move closer to their programmatic demand partners. Reducing hops in the supply chain will help them take a higher revenue share as a result.

We'll see more programmatic teams emerge and grow within brands and advertisers directly as they become more au fait with the various platforms available to them. Reducing their need to depend on agency planners and buyers for programmatic campaign executions, they'll simply take greater ownership of this themselves.

Koray Fuat, Senior Supply Director, ADWMG 

"It’s time to give control back to those who create the content and services that power society."

We will see more and more server-side action! Ad sellers will focus on implementing the Prebid Server to manage monetisation in their mobile apps, and the server-side will also attract growing attention on the browser side. However, Prebid won’t be the only thing sellers explore on the server side. 

Publishers will increasingly test server-side ad serving using IAB Tech Lab’s Trusted Server, which provides a more secure, transparent way to handle data while meeting privacy requirements. It won’t become mainstream overnight, but it will progress gradually. It’s time to give control back to those who create the content and services that power society, and to build a more open and trustworthy digital media ecosystem.

Petri Kokkonen, CEO and Partner, Relevant Digital

"The open web is a powerful canvas for unbridled omnichannel."

The "open" in the open web will stop being a descriptor and start being a differentiator. It will push the open web from a fundamental yet underleveraged tool to become marketing’s growth engine and a powerful canvas for unbridled omnichannel.

As consumer behaviour fragments across screens and platforms, demand for interoperability, transparency and control will accelerate. The ability to flow seamlessly across programmatic channels, powered by plug-and-play stacks and API integrations that stitch together best-in-class tools, gives marketers choice without complexity.

Retail media networks and commerce-driven data will supercharge this ecosystem, enabling brands to activate rich, first-party insights for precision targeting and measurable outcomes.

Agentic AI will amplify this - automating campaign setup, optimising performance, and delivering clearer insights and reporting in real-time. 

Openness matters because consumers are everywhere, and it unlocks a universe of rich and diverse first-party data fueling AI to deliver relevance at scale across every channel.

Jon Finnie, Vice President of International Sales, Yahoo

"I’m encouraged by the creativity I’m seeing across the industry."

The open web is moving into a discovery-first era, and that shift will ask all of us to rethink how we earn people’s attention. AI may change how information is surfaced, but it can’t replace the depth and context that great publishers bring to their audiences. Video will play an even bigger role here. It creates experiences that can’t be reduced to a summary and gives people a reason to stay, learn, and connect.

I’m encouraged by the creativity I’m seeing across the industry. When publishers lean into what makes their work uniquely human, especially through richer storytelling formats like video, the open web becomes stronger, not weaker.

Shachar Orren, Co-Founder, CRO/CMO, EX.CO

"Bigger isn’t always better..."

As we move into 2026, there’s one theme the Open Web can no longer ignore: media quality.

For too long, scale - sheer impressions - has been the default goal. Yet industry realities are catching up: MFA content, bot traffic, multi-hop reselling, and request duplication all erode trust and diminish real value. With a finite amount of premium inventory out there, bigger isn’t always better and advertisers want to be sure their budgets are going toward real, high-value opportunities that align with their brand values and that actually perform.

Not all supply is created equal, and quality matters more than ever. In 2026, premium, direct publisher coverage, elimination of multi-hop reselling, and robust media quality controls will be the foundation of performance.

Tyler Romasco, EVP, Demand Platform & Publisher Partnerships, OpenX