WPP Media has projected global advertising revenue, excluding US political advertising, to grow 8.9% by the end of 2026 and reach $1.3 trillion, according to its ‘This Year Next Year 2026 Global Midyear Forecast’. The revised estimate has marked an increase from the 7.1% growth forecast released in December 2025.
The report has attributed the stronger outlook to rising investments in artificial intelligence and the advertising activity generated by both AI-native companies and traditional businesses using AI to improve operational efficiency amid ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges.
For the Asia-Pacific region, WPP Media has forecast advertising revenue growth of 6.7% in 2026. In the United States, ad revenue growth has been projected at 11.9%, representing an upward revision from the company’s earlier estimate.
According to the report, social media has remained the largest advertising channel and the biggest contributor to content-driven advertising growth. However, its year-on-year growth has been expected to slow to single digits from 2027 onwards due to changing consumer behaviour, increasing age-related access restrictions and the growing adoption of AI chatbots.
The report has also highlighted the growing importance of commerce media, particularly retail media, within the advertising ecosystem. It has noted that shifts towards generative search and social commerce could create new challenges for brands as AI agents increasingly influence commercial decision-making.
Traditional and generative search advertising have been projected to account for 21.8% of total advertising revenue in 2026. Meanwhile, global content-driven advertising revenue has been estimated at $720.2 billion in 2026. Despite continued growth, the segment’s share of total advertising revenue has been expected to decline by 2031 as artificial intelligence continues to reshape content creation and consumption patterns.
