Integral Ad Science (IAS), a media measurement and optimisation platform has unveiled its Australia Industry Pulse Report 2026, which reveals a decisive shift in how Australian marketers are planning for the year ahead. The rapid migration of consumers across CTV, social media, and retail media networks is prompting advertisers to prioritise measurement and transparency when running programmatic campaigns to protect their brand reputation and optimise performance.
“2026 will be a defining year for Australia’s digital ecosystem,” said Jessica Miles, country manager ANZ at IAS. “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. 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.”
Connected TV (CTV) Becomes The Premium Battleground For Attention
With more streaming platforms scaling, CTV has solidified its position as a priority environment for both performance and brand-building. CTV is accelerating, and it demands the same, if not higher, accountability standards as linear TV and digital video.
In fact, 82 per cent of media experts have said measuring attention on CTV will be vital for evaluating outcomes in 2026 and 81 per cent consider third-party verification essential to ensure ad quality, suitability, and accurate delivery. Advertisers also emphasise the importance of frequency controls and cross-platform consistency as fragmentation continues to increase.
Retail Media Networks Evolve Into Full-Funnel, Quality-First Ecosystems
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.
More than four out of five (82 per cent) of media experts cite viewability as a core RMN KPI, 79 per cent said attention measurement will play a crucial role in performance evaluation and 83 per cent cite contextual relevance and brand suitability as top strategies for improving outcomes.
Social Media Surges, But Transparency Gaps & The Rapid Rise Of AI-Generated Content Threaten Advertiser Confidence
Social platforms continue to dominate digital consumption with 83 per cent of media experts have cited Attention and Viewability as critical metrics for evaluating campaign performance, 80 per cent of experts stress that third-party verification is essential for identifying and classifying AI-generated content, including deepfakes, across platforms and 72 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, MFA inventory, and inadequate platform transparency are shaping media strategies with unprecedented urgency. Notably, 75 per cent of respondents identify content adjacency, including AI-generated and creator content, as their number one digital media challenge entering 2026.
