30+ Digital Marketing Statistics, Spend & Channel Data (2026)

Digital marketing in 2026 is the default media plan. Every major forecaster — Dentsu, WPP Media, MAGNA, IAB and eMarketer — now puts digital channels above two-thirds of the global ad market, and a clear majority of CMO budgets flow through screens consumers touch with a finger. Search is being rewired by AI answer engines, retail media is the fastest-expanding line item on the planet, connected TV upfronts are about to overtake primetime linear for the first time, and Meta is on track to pass Google in worldwide ad revenue this year.

The numbers crossed a symbolic line in late 2025. Dentsu's December forecast pegs global ad spend above US$1 trillion for the first time, with digital at 68.7% of total investment. WPP Media measured 2025 global ad revenue at $1.14 trillion and projects another 7.1% rise in 2026. MAGNA expects US ad spend alone to grow 7.8% past $400 billion. IAB's Outlook study forecasts 9.5% US growth driven by cyclical events and agentic AI. Below are 30+ statistics verified against their primary sources.

Global and US Ad Spend

1. Global ad spend will surpass $1 trillion for the first time in 2026.

Dentsu's December 2025 Global Ad Spend Forecast projects worldwide advertising investment will rise 5.1% in 2026 to cross the US$1 trillion threshold for the first time, outpacing the 3.1% projected expansion of the global economy. The market is now powered by digital channels, cyclical events and AI-led automation. (Dentsu)

2. WPP Media tracked global ad revenue at $1.14 trillion in 2025.

WPP Media's This Year Next Year report (formerly GroupM) measured 2025 global ad revenue at $1.14 trillion, an 8.8% jump excluding US political advertising. The firm projects another 7.1% rise in 2026 as commerce media, streaming TV and AI-driven optimisation extend digital's lead. (WPP Media)

3. eMarketer forecasts worldwide ad spending at $1.17 trillion in 2026.

eMarketer's December 2025 Worldwide Ad Spending Forecast puts the global total at roughly $1.170 trillion in 2026, driven by resilient digital growth and a healthy year for traditional channels around major sporting events and the US midterms. The three biggest independent forecasters now agree the trillion-dollar line has been crossed. (eMarketer)

4. US ad spend will grow 9.5% in 2026 according to IAB's Outlook Study.

IAB's 2026 Outlook Study, based on responses from more than 200 brand and agency buyers, forecasts US ad spend growth of 9.5% in 2026, up from 5.7% in 2025. Stripping out cyclical events (the World Cup, Winter Olympics and midterms), underlying growth is still 7.1% to 7.8%. (IAB)

5. MAGNA expects US ad sales to grow 7.8% past $400 billion in 2026.

MAGNA Global projects 2026 US ad sales will rise 7.8% to clear $400 billion for the first time, with global ad sales up 6.3% past the $1 trillion mark. Search and retail media combined will reach $357 billion (+8%), and social will hit $242 billion (+11%). (MAGNA)

Channel Mix: Search, Social, Video and CTV

6. Digital captures 68.7% of global ad investment in 2026.

Dentsu reports digital advertising will represent 68.7% of total global ad investment in 2026, growing 6.7% year over year. Television rises 2.4%, out of home 4.1% and cinema 2.2%, but print declines another 3.0%. The crossover from analogue to digital is essentially complete. (Dentsu)

7. US internet ad revenue hit a record $258.6 billion in 2024.

The IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report measured US internet ad revenue at $258.6 billion in 2024, up 14.9% — the biggest annual jump since 2021. Search alone accounted for $102.9 billion (+15.9%), and the top 10 sellers still controlled 80.8% of the market. (IAB/PwC)

8. US social media ad revenue grew 36.7% to $88.7 billion in 2024.

IAB/PwC showed social media ad revenue jumping 36.7% to $88.7 billion in 2024, the fastest growth of any major format. IAB's 2026 Outlook expects social to remain the fastest-growing US channel at +14.6%. (IAB/PwC)

9. US digital video ad revenue climbed 19.2% to $62.1 billion.

Digital video reached $62.1 billion in 2024, up 19.2% year on year, and now accounts for 24% of all US internet ad revenue. IAB's 2026 outlook forecasts US video ad buys will exceed $81 billion this year as advertisers continue to chase audiences off linear feeds. (IAB/PwC)

10. CTV upfront ad spend will exceed primetime linear for the first time in 2026.

eMarketer finds US CTV upfront ad spend reaching $17.73 billion in 2026, narrowly overtaking primetime linear TV upfronts at $16.98 billion — the first crossover in upfront history. Total CTV ad spending will rise 14.5% to $37.95 billion. (eMarketer)

11. Streaming will make up 29.6% of total TV revenue in 2026.

WPP Media's This Year Next Year forecast pegs streaming TV at $50.5 billion in ad revenue and 29.6% of total TV revenue in 2026, while linear TV declines another 2.6% to $120.3 billion. The audience has already shifted; the money is finishing the migration this year. (WPP Media)

12. Meta will overtake Google in worldwide ad revenue for the first time in 2026.

eMarketer forecasts Meta will reach $243.46 billion in net worldwide ad revenue in 2026, nudging past Google at $239.54 billion — the first time Meta has ever taken the top spot globally or in the US. Amazon, the clear No. 3, will grow to $82.07 billion in worldwide ad revenue. (eMarketer)

The Rise of Retail Media

13. US retail media ad spend will reach $71.09 billion in 2026.

eMarketer projects US retail media advertising spend at $71.09 billion in 2026, up from $60.32 billion in 2025 — growth of 17.8% that beats both search and social. Amazon, Walmart and a long tail of retailer networks are monetising first-party shopper data faster than any other channel. (eMarketer)

14. Amazon and Walmart will absorb 89% of incremental retail media dollars in 2026.

The same eMarketer analysis finds that of the $10.53 billion in incremental US retail media spend in 2026, $9.42 billion — roughly 89% — will go to Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect alone. The retail media ecosystem is bifurcating into two giants and a crowded long tail of smaller networks. (eMarketer)

15. Commerce media spending hit $178.2 billion globally in 2025.

WPP Media measured global commerce media revenue (retail, travel and financial services networks) at $178.2 billion in 2025, equal to 15.6% of total global ad revenue. The category is now larger than every traditional channel except TV. (WPP Media)

16. Retail media is the fastest-growing digital channel worldwide at 14.1%.

Dentsu's December 2025 forecast names retail media the single fastest-growing digital channel globally in 2026 at 14.1% growth, ahead of online video at 11.5% and social at 11.4%. Search remains the largest digital line item but is growing slowest of the four. (Dentsu)

17. US commerce media revenue grew 23% to $53.7 billion in 2024.

The IAB/PwC report measured US commerce media (including retail media networks) at $53.7 billion in 2024, up 23% year over year — one of the strongest growth rates in the report. IAB's 2026 Outlook adds another +12.1% growth on top of that base. (IAB/PwC)

AI's Impact on Marketing

18. 86.4% of marketers now use AI tools in their day-to-day work.

HubSpot's 2026 State of Marketing Report, surveying 1,500+ marketers, found 86.4% now use AI tools — up from 41% in 2024 and 67% in 2025. Content and media generation are the most common applications. (HubSpot)

19. 61% of marketers say AI is the biggest disruption in 20 years.

HubSpot finds 61% of marketers believe the discipline is going through its biggest disruption in 20 years, driven by generative AI. About 94% plan to use AI in content creation in 2026, and roughly 75% already use it for media creation including video and images. (HubSpot)

20. Two-thirds of US ad buyers are now focused on agentic AI.

IAB's 2026 Outlook Study found that two-thirds of US buyers have shifted attention to agentic AI for ad buying and campaign execution, treating it as a category of automation rather than a feature. The agency identifies AI-driven automation as one of the three core accelerators behind the 9.5% growth forecast. (IAB)

21. The technology sector will lead all verticals at 10.3% ad spend growth in 2026.

Dentsu names technology the fastest-growing industry sector at +10.3%, driven by AI-led product launches. It is followed by government/social/political at +10.1% and beverages at +10.1% — all comfortably above the 5.1% global average. (Dentsu)

22. 56% of marketers say the internet is now flooded with AI-generated content.

HubSpot's 2026 report finds 56% of marketers describe the open web as flooded with AI-generated content, and 65% say consumers are getting better at identifying and ignoring it. Nearly 30% of marketers also report decreased search traffic as consumers shift queries to AI answer engines. (HubSpot State of Marketing 2026)

Attribution, Privacy and First-Party Data

23. Google kept third-party cookies alive in Chrome after a six-year deprecation push.

In April 2025 Google confirmed it would not launch the user-choice prompt to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome, ending a six-year programme that began in 2019. By late 2025 several Privacy Sandbox APIs were quietly retired after low adoption. Cookies are still blocked by default on Safari and Firefox. (Google Ads Help)

24. 85% of publishers expect first-party data's role in monetisation to grow in 2026.

An industry survey found 71% of publishers in Q1 2025 already named first-party data as a key source of positive advertising results, and 85% expect its role in monetisation to grow further in 2026, while third-party data's importance is rapidly declining. Even with cookies surviving Chrome, the operational momentum has moved on. (IAB)

25. Marketing budgets remain flat at 7.7% of company revenue.

Gartner's 2025 CMO Spend Survey found marketing budgets stuck at 7.7% of total company revenue — the same level as 2024 and well below the 9.5% peak measured in 2022. Half of CMOs reported budgets of 6% or less, and 59% said they have insufficient budget to execute strategy. (Gartner)

26. Digital channels claim 61.1% of total marketing spend.

Gartner's 2025 survey found digital channels now account for 61.1% of total marketing spend, with seven of ten sectors dedicating more than 60% of their budget online. Paid media alone takes 30.6% of marketing budgets, or 2.4% of company revenue. (Gartner)

B2B, B2C and Regional Splits

27. Worldwide B2B digital ad spend will reach $48.15 billion in 2026.

eMarketer projects worldwide B2B digital ad spend at $48.15 billion in 2026, up from $38.67 billion in 2025 — roughly triple the pre-pandemic level. LinkedIn, search and programmatic display are the three biggest engines as B2B buying journeys move online. (eMarketer)

28. Asia Pacific will grow 5.4% in 2026, with India up 8.6%.

Dentsu names Asia Pacific the most dynamic region globally at 5.4% growth in 2026. China is expected to rise 6.1% and India 8.6%, the latter powered by major sporting events and rapid digital expansion. (Dentsu)

29. The Americas will hit $460.5 billion in 2026, with the US up 5.0%.

Dentsu pegs the Americas at $460.5 billion in 2026 ad spend, with the US growing 5.0% on the back of the FIFA World Cup and the midterm elections. EMEA grows 4.2%, with the UK leading the region at 5.7%. (Dentsu)

30. Global search advertising will reach $244.9 billion in 2026.

WPP Media projects global search advertising at $244.9 billion in 2026, or 21.4% of total global ad spend, growing 10.3%. Retail search and social-platform search are expected to grow much faster than traditional search engines as AI answer engines change how consumers find products. (WPP Media)

31. Gaming ad spend will reach $10.7 billion globally in 2026.

WPP Media forecasts global in-game and around-game advertising at $10.7 billion in 2026, a category that barely registered five years ago. Brands targeting Gen Z and younger millennials lead the migration. (WPP Media)

32. Streaming TV ad revenue will hit $50.5 billion globally in 2026.

WPP Media puts global streaming TV ad revenue at $50.5 billion in 2026, on track to make up almost a third of all TV ad revenue worldwide. The streaming half of the TV ledger is the only half growing in real terms. (WPP Media)

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