Almost four in ten UK marketers (39 per cent) expect their overall budgets to increase over the next 12 months – one of the most positive outlooks across Europe, alongside France – while 35 per cent expect them to stay the same. Agencies remain slightly more cautious than advertisers, reflecting the balance between optimism and the need for fiscal discipline that still defines much of today’s marketing planning. 

Looking by sector, the survey suggests that confidence is highest among FMCG and clothing/luxury goods brands, which are planning stronger levels of investment. By contrast, automotive marketers remain most restrained in their outlook, continuing to navigate a tougher set of market conditions than other sectors. 

In the UK, revenue growth and building market share are marketers’ top priorities for marketers in 2026, cited by 62 per cent of respondents; followed by building brand health (58 per cent) and customer retention (54 per cent). Conversely, customer retention is the number one priority for marketers in France, Germany, and Spain, and acquiring and winning back customers are the key considerations for Italian marketers. 

AI takes centre stage in marketing strategies 

Harnessing the benefits of generative AI has taken the top spot among marketers’ strategic priorities across Europe – climbing from third place last year – cited by 34 per cent of the overall respondents. In the UK, 31 per cent of respondents placed it among their three main areas of focus for the year ahead, reflecting the growing role of AI in content creation, automation, and campaign optimisation. However, using dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) is UK marketers’ top strategic focus (33 per cent), followed by the use of automated ad tech (32 per cent). 

In the context of video data, 65 per cent of UK respondents say they are prioritising AI-driven personalisation of ad experiences, while 62 per cent emphasise the need to ensure compliance with privacy regulations and consent management; underlining the tension between data-driven efficiency and regulatory responsibility. 

Quality, reach, and data drive confidence in streaming 

The research confirms that across Europe, the quality of the ad experience remains the strongest factor encouraging investment in streaming TV (41 per cent), followed by audience reach (38 per cent), real-time analytics (36 per cent), and advanced targeting options (36 per cent). This differs slightly from the UK, where ad experience (45 per cent), advanced targeting (42 per cent), and audience reach (37 per cent) are the three key drivers. 

That said, there are still practical challenges to overcome. Over two-fifths of respondents (41 per cent) saw the growing number of platforms and buying tools as a key inhibitor to streaming TV expansion, which is a renewed call for greater simplicity in the buying process.  

Streaming confidence extends across industry sectors 

Confidence in streaming investment is shared by marketers across the major industries in Europe – including finance, telecoms, FMCG, and retail – which all expect to boost their streaming budgets in 2026; underscoring streaming’s position as a central part of the media mix. The sharpest increases are expected from advertisers and agencies in medical (82 per cent), FMCG (79 per cent), and consumer electronics (78 per cent) sectors.  

“This year’s findings show that streaming TV is an essential pillar of the video ecosystem,” said Stefanie Briec, Senior Director, Demand Sales, UK & EMEA at Comcast Advertising. “UK marketers recognise the unique balance of big screen quality, reach, and accountability offered by premium streaming environments. As automation and data collaboration continue to advance, boosted by AI, we expect investments in these channels to accelerate further in 2026.”