StackAdapt – The State of Programmatic Advertising, 2026
The report focuses on benchmarks, trends, and predictions at the intersection of programmatic advertising, artificial intelligence (AI), and marketing technology (Martech) for the year 2026.
It highlights a defining transition in programmatic advertising characterized by increasing competitiveness and fragmentation. The insights are drawn from surveys of 484 senior marketers in the US, Canada, and the UK, as well as platform data from over 6,000 global advertisers. Marketer sentiment is optimistic with 75% expecting budget growth and 84% reporting stronger year-over-year marketing performance. The report identifies a maturity gap in the industry and outlines five key trends shaping programmatic advertising in 2026, emphasizing intelligent consolidation, pragmatic AI use, and integration of creative, data, and media.
