IAB Europe's Attitudes to Digital Advertising Report 2026

Our inaugural Attitudes to Digital Advertising Report offers a comprehensive snapshot of the European digital advertising market as it continues to grow in scale and sophistication, while still facing structural and operational challenges.

Building on more than a decade of insights from our  Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising study, the report broadens its scope to reflect today’s digital landscape across display, video, Connected TV (CTV), and digital audio. The findings show an industry that is maturing and diversifying, but where progress is uneven across channels, formats, and stakeholder groups.

Developed by our Advertising & Media Committee, the study is based on over 170 responses collected between October and November 2025 from advertisers, agencies, publishers, and ad tech companies operating across pan-European, global-with-European-remit, and local market roles in more than 25 European markets.

Key Findings Include:

• Digital investment remains on an upward trajectory, with more than two-thirds of respondents expecting investment or revenue to increase over the next 12 months.
  
• Programmatic maturity is strongest in display (30%) and video (28%), while CTV and digital audio show higher levels of uncertainty, reflecting gaps in visibility and adoption.
  
• Cross-channel activation remains limited, with only 17% of respondents activating the majority of campaigns across channels.
  
• Performance and efficiency drive digital investment, cited by 61% of respondents, followed by operational (56%) and cost efficiencies (54%).
  
• Media quality remains the biggest barrier to growth, with 52% highlighting challenges around fraud, brand safety, viewability, and transparency, closely followed by operational complexity.
  
• Connected TV leads future growth expectations, identified by nearly seven in ten respondents as the top growth opportunity, followed closely by AI and Retail & Commerce Media.

Read the press release here and download the full report below. 

For more information on the work of our Advertising & Media Committee and how you can get involved, please get in touch with our Industry Development & Insights Director, Marie-Clare Puffett at puffett [at] iabeurope.eu.