Sam Buchanan - IMAA
Six in 10 independent media agencies are forecasting a flat or stronger FY27 for advertising spend, according to the Independent Media Agencies Australia's 2026 Indie Census.
The annual survey, released today, captures the needs, challenges and opportunities facing the nation's independent media agency sector.
Sixty-one per cent of IMAA members predict ad expenditure will flatten or increase in the next financial year, with 30% tipping spend to rise by up to 10% to more than 30%.
The forecast aligns with year-on-year growth, with 70% of IMAA member agencies now billing more than $11 million annually in FY26, up from 61% in FY25.
Indies expect the top five channels for ad spend to be BVOD/CTV, digital video, social, search and podcasts, with growth of up to 25% and more.
Seven in 10 agencies expect podcasts to grow by up to 25%, while 60% believe BVOD/CTV and programmatic out-of-home will grow at the same rate. Digital radio and traditional out-of-home are also having a resurgence, with more than half expecting growth of up to 25%.
Digital remains the primary channel, with display, social and search commanding the greatest share of spend, followed by classic, transit and programmatic out-of-home, BVOD/CTV digital video and audio.
Almost 92% of agencies named platform measurement and linking spend to business outcomes as very or somewhat important.
AI is seen as both the biggest growth opportunity and biggest challenge for indie agencies heading into the new financial year, with AI-assisted creative and media optimisation the top incremental growth opportunity.
More than a third (33.9%) named adopting and integrating AI into workflows as their biggest coming challenge, citing data privacy and compliance concerns, lack of skilled talent and unclear ROI as barriers.
Indies remain committed to hiring the next generation of talent. Almost 40% want staff with up to three years' industry experience, with a similar number seeking three to seven years. Communication and client management were named the biggest capability gaps in early media careers, followed by critical thinking and problem solving.
Upper-funnel brand building (25%) and short-form video (15%) were named the next key growth areas, while proving media effectiveness and ROI to clients and navigating an increasingly complex media landscape, were named critical challenges.
The Census includes responses from 157 independent media agencies nationally.
IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan said the Census captures frontline perspectives from those making planning, investment and platform decisions daily, providing a trusted source of intelligence for members and media partners.
"The Census shows a dynamic independent media agency sector, underpinned by solid growth and optimism about the next financial year," he said.
"Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, local and global uncertainty and significant agency consolidation and job cuts in the broader advertising industry, our members remain positive about what's to come in the next 12 months.
“It's incredible to see that nearly 70% of our members are now billing more than $11 million annually, which is demonstrative of the significant and growing appetite by clients for indie agencies nationally.
Buchanan said the annual Indie Census findings continue to help shape the advocacy, initiatives and support delivered by the IMAA.
“Ensuring our programs, partnerships and resources remain aligned with the sector's evolving needs,” he said.
“This year, we'll be doubling down on our efforts to support our members as they navigate the AI transition and its impact on everything from day-to-day operations to planning and buying."
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