Programmatic advertising today entered what industry analysts characterize as its mature growth phase. Proximic by Comscore released its third annual State of Programmatic Report on January 20, 2026, revealing that 58% of marketers expect to increase programmatic investment this year while 82% now consider AI-powered optimization essential when evaluating partners.

The comprehensive survey of more than 200 industry decision-makers, conducted between November 4 and November 25, 2025, signals a market that has moved beyond experimentation toward intentional deployment. The report introduces a three-layer programmatic strategy stack—Growth, Control, and Performance—reflecting how buyers currently plan, activate, and evaluate media.

CTV emerges as dominant growth channel

Connected television has consolidated its position as programmatic's primary growth engine. The survey found that 45% of marketers increasing programmatic CTV budgets are reallocating dollars from linear television, with CTV expected to capture 26% of media budgets on average in 2026. Digital desktop and mobile display contributes 24% of the reallocation, followed by social media at 16% and audio and podcasts at 10%.

The data indicates programmatic CTV adoption has moved from preference to default. More than half of respondents—51%—expect more than 60% of their CTV budgets to be transacted programmatically in 2026. Nearly one-quarter anticipate that more than 80% of their CTV buys will occur through programmatic channels.

Linear television's role as the largest funding source for programmatic CTV remained consistent year-over-year, representing 45% of reallocated budgets in 2026 compared to 46% in 2025. The pattern underscores deliberate media mix reshaping rather than net-new budget expansion, with only 16% of incremental CTV investment coming from previously unallocated dollars.

Programmatic audio taps traditional media budgets

Audio followed CTV as the only channel expected to see year-over-year programmatic budget growth. Linear television led reallocation sources for audio as well, with 21% of marketers moving broadcast dollars into programmatic podcast and audio inventory. Net-new budget accounted for 18% of audio growth, while desktop and mobile display contributed 17%.

One-third of respondents indicated they do not expect to increase audio budgets at all, underscoring that progress stems from intentional shifts in buying methodology rather than uniform expansion. Traditional radio represented the most common "other" funding source cited by the 10% who selected that category, highlighting movement away from legacy audio buying toward automated, data-driven approaches.

The evolution parallels broader programmatic audio transformation as the channel integrates with omnichannel identity-powered platforms. Audio advertising accounted for 10% of expected media budgets on average in 2026, up from 9% the previous year.

Curation becomes foundational control layer

Marketers demonstrated clear prioritization of curated supply paths over open exchange buying. Three-quarters of respondents—76%—indicated that curated marketplaces, private marketplaces, or deal ID-based premium supply will be important or very important for their 2026 programmatic strategies.

Agency and trading desk curated solutions followed at 70% importance, while publisher-direct curated packages ranked at 60%. The data reveals buyers approaching curation not as a single tactic but as a layered control system serving different objectives across planning, buying, and execution.

When buyers choose curated supply, quality drives the decision. Fully 75% cited access to high-quality inventory as a key factor, while 70% pointed to exclusive inventory access. Protection against low-quality placements and made-for-advertising environments motivated 61% of curated buying decisions, tied with reducing brand safety and suitability risks at 61%.

The findings align with industry movement away from surveillance-based approaches toward intentional access models that balance scale with transparency.

Nearly half of respondents—49%—expect open exchange inventory to account for more than 40% of their programmatic spend, positioning the channel by relevance rather than dominance. The shift represents movement from open access to intentional access, with buyers deliberately shaping supply paths that combine scale with control.

Contextual targeting reaches steady-state adoption

Contextual targeting has transitioned from experimental layer to baseline control signal. Nearly three-quarters of respondents—74%—plan to either maintain or increase their use of contextual targeting year-over-year for the second consecutive year.

The 43% planning to increase contextual usage in 2026 represents a decline from 54% the previous year. Rather than signaling waning interest, the year-over-year shift reflects contextual's maturation into a normalized control mechanism that buyers trust enough to keep in place.

In privacy-regulated verticals including healthcare, financial services, and alcohol, contextual has emerged as the primary targeting approach. Half of respondents in these sectors—50%—cite contextual as their main targeting tactic, outpacing ID-based audiences at 34% and ID-free audiences at 16%.

The data demonstrates how privacy-first targeting strategies have evolved from workarounds to foundational approaches. Marketers increasingly pair contextual intelligence with first-party data to create durable targeting frameworks that support privacy-centric execution while preserving control over quality, placement, and performance.

AI becomes baseline expectation

Artificial intelligence capabilities have moved from differentiator to default across programmatic operations. More than four in five respondents—82%—say AI-powered optimization is important when evaluating programmatic partners for 2026, signaling a clear shift from "nice to have" to non-negotiable.

The applications where buyers most expect to rely on AI reveal priorities focused on optimization, measurement, and accountability rather than just efficiency. Audience targeting and modeling topped the list at 88%, followed by campaign pacing and bid automation at 77%, measurement and attribution at 71%, and fraud detection and brand safety at 70%. Creative generation ranked lower at 40%, reinforcing that teams prioritize AI within programmatic to drive performance and accountability.

Marketers demonstrated measured adoption of AI-driven workflows while maintaining human oversight. Three-quarters plan to rely on either a balanced mix of manual and AI-driven audience selection or a mostly manual approach that incorporates AI experimentation. No respondents expect fully AI-driven audience selection in 2026.

The pattern extends to creative development. Over two-thirds expect AI to account for less than 20% of their creative output, and nearly one-third anticipate using no AI-generated creative at all. The findings align with broader industry adoption patterns where AI supports efficiency without displacing human-led storytelling and strategic decision-making.

Performance accountability moves upstream

Buyers increasingly expect to understand performance before campaigns launch rather than evaluating success solely through post-campaign analysis. More than 80% of respondents indicated that predicted reach and conversion outcomes are important when choosing audiences for campaigns.

While predicted engagement metrics remain relevant at 68% importance, they trail reach and conversion by 12-13 percentage points. The gap reinforces that buyers prioritize forecasts tied to business impact rather than activity signals.

Cross-channel performance visibility has become critical for decision-making. Nearly nine in ten respondents—87%—say it is either valuable or critical to have cross-channel performance metrics available directly inside their programmatic platform. The demand reflects a shift toward unified, deduplicated performance views that connect planning, activation, and measurement in one place.

When evaluating campaign effectiveness, conversion rate emerged as the clearest priority. More than three-fifths of respondents—62%—ranked it as their first or second most important measure. ROAS followed at 47%, reach and frequency at 46%, and click-through rate at 39%. Social engagement ranked last at 7%, signaling a broader shift away from surface-level indicators toward measures that better capture true performance and accountability.

The evolution parallels measurement infrastructure advances enabling advertisers to connect television exposure with digital actions across devices and platforms.

Budget growth moderates as discipline increases

Programmatic investment remains resilient, but the nature of growth has changed. The 58% of respondents expecting to increase programmatic spend in 2026 represents a decline from 72% the previous year and 62% in 2024.

The moderation reflects a market that has moved beyond experimentation rather than signaling pullback. An additional 24% plan to maintain their level of programmatic investment year-over-year in 2026, indicating that four in five marketers will sustain or grow programmatic spending.

Average budget allocation to programmatic by channel shows concentrated growth in streaming and audio. CTV budgets increased three percentage points year-over-year to 26% of media spend on average. Audio rose one percentage point to 10%. Social media, digital desktop and mobile, and linear television remained flat at 22%, 22%, and 20% respectively.

The data reveals buyers deploying dollars with greater selectivity, concentrating growth in areas where programmatic has proven its value through consistent, measurable results. Nearly half of respondents—47%—expect more than 40% of their budgets to be programmatic, while 53% anticipate that less than 40% will be programmatic.

The near-even split reflects both growing confidence in automated buying and the enduring value placed on publisher partnerships. Hybrid buying models combining programmatic with direct relationships have become the norm as capabilities continue to advance across targeting, transparency, and measurement.

Market shifts from experimentation to execution

The 2026 State of Programmatic Report reveals an industry at an inflection point. Investment remains resilient, but expectations have fundamentally shifted. Marketers no longer optimize for scale alone—they demand greater control, higher quality, and provable performance from every dollar deployed.

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in planning and optimization workflows, focus is moving from experimentation to execution. Success depends on how well budgets, data, supply decisions, and outcome-based measurement operate as a single, accountable system.

The findings indicate that the era of "scale first, optimize later" has passed. Programmatic buying now demands intention, governance, and measurable impact from the outset. Buyers are deliberately recalibrating their approach, combining the scale of open exchange with curated marketplaces and private marketplaces that offer stronger guardrails.

Privacy-forward activation pushes contextual and first-party approaches to the forefront. Control over how inventory is sourced and governed has become just as critical as efficiency. The mature programmatic market emerging in 2026 prioritizes strategies that improve quality, reduce risk, and connect spend to business outcomes.

Timeline

Summary

Who: Proximic by Comscore surveyed more than 200 advertising decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers. The company is a division of Comscore Inc. focused on contextual targeting and privacy-forward programmatic solutions.

What: The third annual State of Programmatic Report reveals that 58% of marketers expect to increase programmatic investment in 2026, with 82% citing AI-powered optimization as essential when evaluating partners. CTV and audio emerged as the only channels expected to see year-over-year programmatic budget growth. Three-quarters of respondents consider curated marketplaces important for 2026 strategies, while contextual targeting has reached steady-state adoption with 74% planning to maintain or increase usage.

When: The survey was conducted between November 4 and November 25, 2025. Results were released on January 20, 2026.

Where: The report covers global programmatic advertising markets, with respondents including brands, agencies, and publishers operating across multiple channels including connected television, audio and podcasts, social media, digital desktop and mobile, and linear television.

Why: The research matters because it documents programmatic advertising's transition from experimental channel to strategic investment expected to perform with precision and quality. The findings reveal fundamental shifts in how buyers structure spend, manage control through curation and contextual signals, and demand accountable performance through AI-driven optimization and cross-channel measurement. For marketing professionals, the report provides actionable intelligence on where investment is evolving, which signals and safeguards buyers prioritize, and how AI and measurement now define success.

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