Media Experts in Australia Prioritise CTV, Retail Media, & Social Media Influence as AI Reshapes 2026 Strategies

by ExchangeWire PressBox on 9th Dec 2025 in News

Integral Ad Science, a leading global media measurement and optimisation platform, today (9th December, 2025) unveiled its Australia Industry Pulse Report 2026, which reveals a decisive shift in how Australian marketers are planning for the year ahead. The rapid migration of consumers across CTV, social media, and retail media networks is prompting advertisers to prioritise measurement and transparency when running programmatic campaigns to protect their brand reputation and optimise performance.

“2026 will be a defining year for Australia’s digital ecosystem,” said Jessica Miles, country manager ANZ at IAS. “As AI accelerates the creation of content at unprecedented speed, brands are demanding sharper attention insights, stronger transparency, measurement, and optimisation that can keep pace with the complexity of emerging media. The next year will reward marketers who embrace innovation, and who invest not just in reach, but in the quality and integrity of every impression.”

Key highlights from the report:

Connected TV (CTV) becomes the premium battleground for attention.

With more streaming platforms scaling, CTV has solidified its position as a priority environment for both performance and brand-building. CTV is accelerating, and it demands the same, if not higher, accountability standards as linear TV and digital video.

Retail Media Networks evolve into full-funnel, quality-first ecosystems

What began as a commerce channel is now becoming a premium attention platform. Retail Media Networks sit firmly at the intersection of commerce, influence, and high-quality media and require transparent metrics to fulfil that promise.

Social media surges, but transparency gaps and the rapid rise of AI-generated content threaten advertiser confidence

Social platforms continue to dominate digital consumption

Across advertisers, agencies, and media experts surveyed, digital video, mobile, and social top the investment agenda. Meanwhile, concerns about AI-generated content, unsafe adjacencies, MFA inventory, and inadequate platform transparency are shaping media strategies with unprecedented urgency. Notably, 75% of respondents identify content adjacency, including AI-generated and creator content, as their number one digital media challenge entering 2026.