Ad spend, as defined by media agency bookings, returned to positive territory in June, up 0.3% compared to the same month last year.
The result is expected to strengthen further as late digital bookings are processed, according to Guideline SMI data.
The June result brings the six-month calendar year total to growth of 0.4% against the same period last year, with digital, outdoor, cinema and newspapers all in up for the year to date.
May has now been revised to 5.1% growth following the inclusion of late digital bookings, and a similar uplift is expected for June.
Over the full financial year, the market tracked 2% below the previous year overall, reflecting the impact of the federal election on comparatives in 2025.
Key category growth in June included government advertising up 50.1%, food, produce and dairy up 17.6%, restaurants up 11.7%, wealth management up 12% and automotive brands up 6.6%.
Radio was up 5.2% in June. Retail online was the standout digital format, up 44.1%.
Streaming video grew 14.2% over the financial year, with the FIFA World Cup driving a spike to 26.4% growth in June.
Outdoor grew 3.8% for the year, with programmatic outdoor up 36.8%.
Digital standalone grew 2.4% over the financial year. Insurance recorded the strongest financial year growth among major advertiser categories, up 14.5%.
Sean Wright, Guideline SMI chief insights and analytics officer, said the June result confirmed that advertising demand had continued to strengthen through the second half of the financial year.
"While the financial year is tracking 2% below the previous year overall, the stronger January-to-June performance demonstrates that advertiser confidence has improved, with the final June result likely to reflect this once all digital bookings have been reported," he said.
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