Publisher and media owner vitality, privacy and data education and responsibility, and the launch of a future of measurement project will form the backbone of IAB Australia’s activities through 2026. The three workstreams, which are outlined in IAB Australia’s Annual Report released today (November 19), will run alongside existing initiatives developed by the association to support the digital advertising industry.
The announcement follows a strong year for IAB in Australia. Membership continued to broaden, with 36 new members, including more organisations across retail media, DOOH, affiliate and video advertising, while agencies and brands are increasingly seeking its expertise with deeper ad-tech participation in measurement, effectiveness, and data and privacy.
The association prepared 38 research studies and white papers, hosted 15 events, authored 10 government submissions and supported 100 emerging leaders through mentorship this year. Additionally, IAB Australia and its member driven Councils and Working Groups ensured global ad specs and standards were adopted locally and continued to govern Australia’s digital audience ratings service.
“The IAB’s role has never been more important as we work to balance global momentum with local realities and help the industry navigate the constant changes from AI and privacy reform to the evolution of retail media and CTV. Our focus will remain practical: strong standards, trusted measurement and capability-building to keep the Australian market confident, competitive and future-ready,” said Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia.
“In 2026, as IAB Australia marks its 21st year we will sharpen our focus on supporting publishers and media owners while exploring the future of measurement in an AI-enabled marketplace. Setting direction and frameworks for privacy and related reforms will remain front and centre and we’ll be continuing to invest in the education, events, and mentorship that sustain our community,” commented Suzie Cardwell, IAB Australia chair and chief data product and technology officer of enterprise at Nine.
The Future of Measurement workstream will include a comprehensive review of evolving advertising planning and buying practices, datasets and measurement approaches in the Australian market to identify industry needs, gaps and future requirements. This will inform a 2027 strategy on how to develop the industry-driven measurement infrastructure needed by Australian media owners, platforms, ad agencies and advertisers to confidently and robustly evaluate digital advertising opportunities in a complex, cross-media, privacy-first landscape.
The second priority workstream for 2026 will focus on supporting the vitality of publishers and media-owners to ensure publishers, broadcasters, content environments and innovation remain sustainable in the next era and thrive in a global ecosystem. This will include further work on technology standards, as well as providing yield optimisation guidance, education, commercial analysis, audience measurement, AI impact insights and policy support.
Further work will also be commenced in the privacy and data sector, particularly around advancing education and responsibility both with industry, as well as government and regulators.
A strong focus will be placed on ensuring a responsible data driven digital advertising industry, including developing frameworks that enable compliant, safe and operationally efficient practices as tranche-two of privacy reforms approaches.
