Australia’s media agency market has started 2026 cautiously, with total ad spend down three per cent year-to-date, according to the latest Guideline SMI data.
However, February saw a boost thanks to Nine’s Winter Olympics coverage, which drove strong growth across Streaming Video, Outdoor, and print media.
Nine’s Olympic broadcast helped limit Metropolitan TV’s decline to just 3.7 per cent in February, while its streaming business surged 22.5 per cent in total ad revenues, with 9Now emerging as the market’s largest streaming ad revenue player for the month.
Guideline SMI APAC Managing Director Jane Ractliffe said Outdoor continued to outperform, with bookings up 1.8 per cent in February – a record for the medium.
“Outdoor is winning share from most other media. Retailers moved four percentage points from Digital to Outdoor, while Food/Produce/Dairy shifted five per cent from TV. Combined, these categories added an extra $4 million in ad revenues to Outdoor this month,” Ractliffe said.
Print also delivered gains, with Newspaper ad spend up 17.4 per cent, led by Regional Press (+50.5 per cent) and Community Newspapers (+34.2 per cent), while Magazines recorded a 21.3 per cent uplift.
Across product categories, Retail, Insurance, Automotive, and Government increased spend, with Insurance up 14.9 per cent YOY. The main declines were in Restaurants (-17 per cent) and Travel.
Ractliffe said late January bookings helped reduce calendar YTD decline to 3.0 per cent, while financial year-to-date bookings were down 4.1 per cent.
“While the overall market remains cautious, February shows that marquee events like the Winter Olympics can deliver significant upside, particularly for Streaming, Outdoor, and print,” she added.
