Connected TV (CTV), with more streaming platforms scaling, has solidified its position as a priority environment for both performance and brand-building.
Integral Ad Science’s (IAS) Australia Industry Pulse Report 2026 says CTV is accelerating, and it demands the same, if not higher, accountability standards as linear TV and digital video.
IAS partnered with YouGov to survey Australian digital media experts from both the buy and sell sides to understand their perspectives on media challenges ahead and opportunities they seek in 2026.
Eight in ten (82%) say measuring attention on CTV will be vital for evaluating outcomes in 2026;
Advertisers also emphasise the importance of frequency controls and cross-platform consistency as fragmentation continues to increase.
IAS country manager ANZ Jessica Miles said 2026 will be a defining year for Australia's digital ecosystem.
"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," she said.
"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."
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.
Eighty-two per cent cite viewability as a core retail media key performance indicator, 79% say attention measurement will play a crucial role in performance evaluation, and 83% cite contextual relevance and brand suitability as top strategies for improving outcomes.
Social platforms continue to dominate digital consumption. Eighty-three per cent of media experts cite attention and viewability as critical metrics for evaluating campaign performance, and 80% of experts stress that third-party verification is essential for identifying and classifying AI-generated content, including deepfakes, across platforms.
Seventy-two per cent warn that insufficient transparency from platforms around media quality threatens advertiser spend, especially as concerns mount over the unchecked growth of AI-generated content on social media.
Social remains indispensable, but requires transparency, verification and deeper intelligence to remain a trusted environment.
Across advertisers, agencies and media experts surveyed, digital video, mobile and social top the investment agenda. Meanwhile, concerns about AI-generated content, unsafe adjacencies, made for advertising inventory and inadequate platform transparency are shaping media strategies with unprecedented urgency.
Three-quarters of respondents identify content adjacency, including AI-generated and creator content, as their number one digital media challenge entering 2026.
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