Proximic by Comscore has released its 2026 State of Programmatic Report, based on over 200 media buyer respondents, with 58 per cent expecting their programmatic investment to increase in 2026 and 87 per cent saying cross-channel performance metrics inside programmatic platforms are critical or valuable for decision-making.

The findings signal a maturing programmatic market focused less on scale at all costs and more on intentional spend, stronger control layers, and accountable performance across channels.

“Programmatic is entering its mature growth phase, where buyers are moving budget with purpose and demanding transparency, quality, and outcomes across every screen,” commented Rachel Gantz, Managing Director of Proximic by Comscore. “This year’s report shows the overwhelming majority of marketers recognise that AI-powered optimisation is essential and that the next wave of growth will come from smarter allocation across CTV, audio, and privacy-forward activation.”

Key findings:

Programmatic growth continues, led by CTV

• More than half, or 58 per cent of respondents expect their programmatic investment to increase in 2026.
• CTV and Audio are the only two media channels expected to see year-over-year programmatic budget growth, with CTV expected to capture 26 per cent of media budgets on average and audio expected to capture 10 per cent on average.
• The largest funding source for programmatic CTV and audio budgets in 2026 is expected to be from linear TV. Nearly half (45 per cent) of marketers are moving budgets from linear TV to CTV, and 21 per cent are reallocating spend from linear to programmatic audio.

AI is now table stakes, with a hybrid operating model

• 82 per cent of marketers say AI-powered optimization is essential.
• 69 per cent of respondents plan to use some AI-generated creative, but only 11 per cent expect AI to make up more than 40 per cent of their creatives.
• Top AI applications marketers expect to rely on in 2026:
  1. Audience targeting and modeling (88 per cent)
  2. Campaign pacing and bid automation (77 per cent)
  3. Measurement and attribution (71 per cent)
  4. Fraud detection and brand safety (70 per cent )

Privacy-forward activation pushes contextual and first-party approaches

• 43 per cent of respondents plan to increase their use of contextual targeting in 2026.
• In privacy-regulated verticals, 50 per cent of respondents say that contextual is their main targeting tactic.

Outcomes matter more than engagement

• Marketers rank the following metrics as most important when measuring the effectiveness of their programmatic campaigns:
• Conversion rate (62 per cent of respondents)
• ROAS (47 per cent of respondents)
• Reach and frequency (46 per cent of respondents)
• Click through rate (CTR) (39 per cent of respondents)
• Social engagements (7 per cent of respondents)

As programmatic expands further into CTV and audio and privacy expectations continue to rise, buyers are prioritising strategies that improve quality, reduce risk, and connect spend to business outcomes, concluded Comscore.

Other posts by :

1. Morgan Stanley downgrades Iridium
2. SpainSat-NG II a total loss
3. SES warns of risks for airlines adopting Starlink
4. Starlink facing backlash in South Africa
5. China wants 200,000 satellites
6. Bank raises view on AST to $100 
7. Frost & Sullivan cites Hughes as #1
8. Verizon cutting prices
9. ScotiaBank confuses market over AST SpaceMobile

Categories: Advertising, AI, Articles, Connected TV

Tags: advertising, comscore, CTV