2026年度营销报告值得关注的趋势日常关注的方向

TODAY’SFRAGMENTEDMEDIALANDSCAPE(WEEKLYSPENT)

18+GROUP

TABLET

12:00

MOBILE

28:01

COMPUTER

7:24

RADIO

9:28

CONNECTED

TV

20:00

LINEARTV

24:36

18-34GROUP

TABLET

10:44

MOBILE

30:15

COMPUTER

6:16

RADIO

6:36

CONNECTED

TV

20:07

LINEARTV6:51

35-49GROUP

TABLET

12:00

MOBILE

30:23

COMPUTER

8:03

RADIO

8:51

CONNECTED

TV

21:10

LINEARTV

13:21

50-64GROUP

TABLET

12:42

MOBILE

26:51

COMPUTER

8:26

RADIO

11:31

CONNECTED

TV

20:44

LINEARTV

28:11

65+GROUP

TABLET

12:37

MOBILE

24:07

COMPUTER

6:39

RADIO

11:11

CONNECTED

TV

17:36

LINEARTV

42:24

ANTICIPATEDBUDGETINCREASESFORVIDEO(GLOBALAVERAGE)

DIGITALVIDEO6%

CONNECTEDTV9%

LINEARTV10%

SHAREOFVIDEOADSPEND1H2026

LINEARTV59%

DIGITALVIDEO26%

CTV&STREAMING15%

TOTAL

LONG-FORMVIDEO21%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO29%

SOCIALPOSTS21%

AGE62-80

LONG-FORMVIDEO7%

15%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO

SOCIALPOSTS

NavigatingtheAIera:

AUTOMOTIVE

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT

2026AnnualMarketingReport

NO,

FINANCIALSERVICES

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS

NO,WEDON’TINVEST

Accuracy,outcomes,&shiftingtrends

Trendstowatch:

Whereeveryday

FMCG/CPG

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS

attentionisgoing

Introduction

Capturingconsumerattentionacross

algorithms,devices,andplatformsrequires

strategiesbeyondsimplytrackingtraditional

channelsanddemographics.Thischapter

exploreswhereeverydayengagementisshifting—fromevolvingperceptionsof“TV”anddiverseco-viewinghabits,totheriseofcreator-drivenloyaltyandthenewplaybookforsportssponsorships.

Discoverthekeytrendsredefiningaudience

behaviorandhowbrandscaneffectively

connectwithconsumers.

Tableof

Contents

04

Morechannelsthanever

06

07

13

15

“TV”isn’tjustadevice

Thecreatorimperative

Thewatchparty

Anewsportsplaybook

21Yournextmove

22HowNielsenhelps

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

18+GROUP[CITE:1]

TABLET12:00

MOBILE28:01

COMPUTER7:24

RADIO9:28

CONNECTEDTV20:00

LINEARTV24:36

18-34GROUP[CITE:1]

TABLET10:44

MOBILE30:15

COMPUTER6:16

RADIO6:36

CONNECTEDTV20:07

LINEARTV6:51

35-49GROUP[CITE:1]

TABLET12:00

MOBILE30:23

COMPUTER8:03

RADIO8:51

CONNECTEDTV21:10

LINEARTV13:21

50-64GROUP[CITE:1]

TABLET12:42

MOBILE26:51

COMPUTER8:26

RADIO11:31

CONNECTEDTV20:44

LINEARTV28:11

65+GROUP[CITE:1]

TABLET12:37

MOBILE24:07

COMPUTER6:39

RADIO11:11

CONNECTEDTV17:36

LINEARTV42:24

Morechannelsthanever

Almost40%oftoday’smarketersare

prioritizingattentionandengagement

outcomesintheyearahead.Morethan

halfaregivingequalweighttoreachand

impressionsastheyaretoattentionand

qualitymetricsandtheneedforthisfocus

isclear.1Consumers’mediaengagement

broadensthemapofwhereandhowbrandshavetoshowup.

Traditionaldemographicsprovideone

elementofthestory.Today’smarketershavetoaccountforidentity,

fandom

,seasonality,andahostofothercompetingorinfluentialfactorsinordertocommandattention.

Audiencesandbrandleadersfacean

increasinglycomplexlineupofalgorithmic

andmassmediatochoosefrom.Acampaigncanspan

radio’sreach

,CTV’sfrequency,

mobile’spersonalization,andmuchmore.

What’schangingamongaudiencebehaviorthatwillfurtherimpactbrands’strategies?

Howaretoday’sbiggestplatformsusedbymarketersandconsumers?Theseareafewoftheconsumer-driventrendsformarketerstowatch.

1NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|4

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

NielsenCopyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|5

Today,sfragmentedmedialandscape

AverageweeklytimespentamongU.S.audiencesinQ12026(HH:MM)

Tablet

Mobile

ComputerRadio

ConnectedTVLinearTV

12:00

28:01

7:24

9:28

20:00

24:36

18+

10:44

30:15

6:16

6:36

20:07

6:51

18-34

12:00

30:23

8:03

8:51

21:10

13:21

35-49

12:42

26:51

8:26

11:31

20:44

28:11

50-64

12:37

24:07

6:39

11:11

17:36

42:24

65+

Source:NielsenAudienceInsights,Q12026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|6

“TV”isn,tjustadevice

41%ofU.S.consumersviewvideocontentas

“TV”nomattertheplatform.2And

adinvestment

isfollowingtheirlead.29%ofvideo

podcastviewers

completeawebsitepurchaseafterseeinganad,

comparedto25%ofpodcastlisteners.3Adults

spendover2billionminuteswithleadingvertical

videomicro-dramaplatformsbuiltforsmartphones.4YouTubecommandsover

14%ofviewingtime

on

thesameTVsetwherebroadcastandcableoutletsaverage12to13minutesofadtime

anhour.5

Today’smarketershavetoaccommodate

unique

behaviors

oneachplatformandeachconsumersegment.

2NielsenScarboroughUSA+,2026Release1

3NielsenScarboroughPodcastBuyingPower,2026

4NielsenMediaImpact,Selectverticalvideomicro-dramaplatforms,June2026

5NielsenBigData+Panel,1H2026

ANTICIPATEDBUDGETINCREASESFORVIDEO(GLOBALAVERAGE)

DIGITALVIDEO6%

CONNECTEDTV9%

LINEARTV10%

SHAREOFVIDEOADSPEND1H2026

LINEARTV59%

DIGITALVIDEO26%

CTV&STREAMING15%

Shareofvideoadspend|1H2026

59%26%

15%

CTV&Streaming

LinearTVDigitalVideo

Source:NielsenAdIntelAI,U.S.,1H2026

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|7

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Thecreatorimperative

TOTAL

LONG-FORMVIDEO21%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO29%

SOCIALPOSTS21%

AGE18-29

LONG-FORMVIDEO29%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO41%

SOCIALPOSTS27%

AGE30-45

LONG-FORMVIDEO28%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO31%

SOCIALPOSTS27%

AGE46-61

LONG-FORMVIDEO17%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO28%

SOCIALPOSTS18%

AGE62-80

LONG-FORMVIDEO7%

SHORT-FORMVIDEO15%

SOCIALPOSTS11%

Consumersaged18-49averageover30hoursaweekonsmartphones,andhalfofthattimegoestosocial

media.675%ofindustryleadersagreeonthechannel’seffectivenessandseecreatorcontent,specifically,

astheleadingopportunity.Infact,nearlyhalfofU.S.

consumersagreetheirloyaltytoacreatormakesthemmorewillingtoconsiderortryaproductthecreator

promotes,eveniftheyweren’toriginallyinterested.7

Nomattertheagegroup,U.S.consumersratecreator

contentaseffectivewaystodrivethemtopurchase.Theformatsdeliveringthebestresultscanvary.Short-formcontentresonateswitheverysegment.Bycomparison,

long-formcontentdoesn’tperformaswellfromthe

consumers’perspective.However,refiningfocusto

advancedaudiences

revealsapreferenceforlonger

formatcontentmorethan10pointshigher.Forexample,37%ofgamersand31%ofpodcastlistenerssaylong-formcontentfromcreatorsinspiresapurchase.8

6NielsenAudienceInsights,U.S.,Q12026

7NielsenMediaAttitudesStudy,2026

8NielsenMediaAttitudesStudy,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

NielsenCopyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|8

Creatorformatsareeffectivetodrivepurchase

%agreecontenttypemakesthemwanttobuy|U.S.audiences

GenZ

Age18-29

Long-formvideos(YouTube,Twitch)

Short-formvideos(TikTok,Reels,YouTubeShorts)Socialmediaposts(photos,captions,stories)

41%

MillennialsAge30-45

Total

GenX

31%

Age46-61

29%

29%

28%

28%

27%

27%

21%21%

BabyBoomersAge62-80

18%17%

15%

11%

7%

Source:NielsenMediaAttitudesStudy,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|9

AUTOMOTIVE

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING60%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT32%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING5%

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS1%

NO,WEDON’TINVEST3%

FINANCIALSERVICES

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING60%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT23%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING5%

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS7%

NO,WEDON’TINVEST6%

FMCG/CPG

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING46%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT37%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING6%

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS12%

NO,WEDON’TINVEST0%

RETAIL

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING55%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT29%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING4%

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS8%

NO,WEDON’TINVEST5%

TECHNOLOGY

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING64%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTFLAT27%

YES,DEDICATEDBUTSHRINKING5%

NO,FOLDEDINTOOTHERCHANNELS4%

NO,WEDON’TINVEST3%

TRAVEL&TOURISM

YES,DEDICATEDANDGROWING52%

Asaresult,themajorityofglobalmarketersaren’tmerely

carryingadedicatedinfluencerlineitem.Theirbudgetsfor

creatorpartnerships

aregrowing.Infact,62%expectcreatorbudgetstogrow,with18%ofmarketersexpectinggrowth

ofmorethan50%comparedtocurrentspend.9Traveland

tourismadvertisersinEurope,forexample,havesofarspentover$6.7billionin2026.1059%ofmarketersinthecategoryplantogrowtheircreatorspend.11

9NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

10NielsenAdIntel,France,Germany,Italy,U.K.,January-August2026

11NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

NielsenCopyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|10

58%

ofmarketershavededicatedandgrowingbudgetsforcreatorpartnerships

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

Dedicatedbudgetsforcreator/influencermarketing

Yes,dedicatedandgrowingYes,dedicatedbutflat

Yes,dedicatedbutshrinkingNo,foldedintootherchannels

No,wedon’tinvestincreator/influencermarketing

10%

0%

Global

Automotive

Financial

FMCG/CPG

Retail

Technology

Travel&Healthcare&

Average

Services

TourismPharmaceuticals

Source:NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|11

ADSPENDTOCHANNEL

CREATORYTCHANNEL1$755,500

CREATORYTCHANNEL2$939,000

CHANNELIMPRESSIONS(AUG2026)

CREATORYTCHANNEL176,000,000

CREATORYTCHANNEL295,000,000

Overthecourseofonemonth,NielsenAdInteldatahighlightssignificantadvertiserinvestmentintwo

leadingcreators’YouTubechannels,eachwithover

60millionsubscribers.12Theanalysisshowedad

spendfromover350differentcategories,hundredsofthousandsinadspenddollars,andtensofmillionsofgrossimpressionsfromthecampaigns.13

Withconsumerpreferenceforcreatorssohigh,

advertisersareoutformorethanreach.Today,one

inthreeglobalmarketersaremeasuringthereturnontheinvestmentofcreatorpartnershipsseparatelyfromtraditionalordigitalcampaigns.14

AnexamplefromNielsen’sCreatorLiftmeasurementforaretailer’screatorpartnershipshowed+10pointgainsinbrandaffinityandrecommendationintent.

Theoutcomesalsoconfirmedcreatorpartnershipscandrivemorethanawareness:purchaseintentandrecentpurchasesoutperformedbenchmarksbyeightpointsormore.15

12YouTube

13NielsenAdIntel,August2026,SelectSports/EntertainmentCreators

14NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

15NielsenCreatorLiftCustomAnalysis,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

NielsenCopyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|12

SpendanddeliverywithYouTubecreators|August2026

Creatorchanneladspend

Creator1

YouTubeChannel

$755,500$939,000

Creator2

YouTubeChannel

Source:NielsenAdIntel,August2026

Creatorchanneladimpressions

Creator1

YouTubeChannel

95,000,000

76,000,000

Creator2

YouTubeChannel

Source:NielsenAdIntel,August2026

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|13

Thewatchparty

Today,“appointmentviewing”canmeanthelatest

realityTVreunion

,aheatedrivalryinafavoritesport,oralivestreamfromapopularcreator.Theplatformwhereviewersdiscovertheir“must-see”content

varieswidely,buttuningintogetherisoftenthe

underlyingtheme.ANielsenstudyonmarqueeliveeventsrevealeda

+4.19%liftinsharedviewing

.

However,distinctco-viewingpatternscanexistbyaudienceprofileandbyplatform.

Analysisofselectbroadcastdramasshowedaboutoneinfouradults18-49viewedwithapeerinthesameagegroup.Forthosesameprogramsand

demoson

streaming

,co-viewingincreasedtomorethanoneinthree.Foradultsoverage50,thatratioflipped.Aboutathirdofaudiences50+streamed

contenttogetherwhileanaverageof44%viewedonbroadcastwithsomeoneinthesameagegroup.

Withtheexceptionofoneunscriptedseries,the

cableprogramsinthedatasetfollowedasimilar

preferenceforaudiences50+co-viewingmore

frequentlyonlinear.Adults25-54,bycontrast,

averagedaco-viewingrate10pointshigher

onstreamingthanontheprograms’cablerun.16

Formulatingnuancedstrategiescallsforprecisionin

audiencetargeting

andcreativealignmenttothedistinctpatternsofeachplatform.

16NielsenNationalTVPanelCo-ViewingAnalysis,consistingofdemopairsofthesameagegroup.Sixfirst-runtelecastminimumforlinearanalysis.

COVIEWINGPATTERNSVARYBYAGEANDPLATFORM

ADULTS18-49(%VIEWINGWITHAPEER)

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#1(LINEAR)23.9%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#1(STREAMING)27.0%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#2(LINEAR)26.4%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#2(STREAMING)36.2%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#3(LINEAR)23.1%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#3(STREAMING)41.8%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#4(LINEAR)28.4%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#4(STREAMING)32.5%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#5(LINEAR)26.4%

BROADCASTPRIMETIMEDRAMA#5(STREAMING)35.1%

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

NielsenCopyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|14

BroadcastPrimetimeDrama#5

Co-viewingpatternsvarybyageandplatform

%ofdemographicgroupviewingwithapeer

ADULTS18-49

ADULTS50+

LinearStreamingLinearStreaming

BroadcastPrimetimeDrama#1

24%

27%

39%

29%

BroadcastPrimetimeDrama#2

26%

36%

47%

37%

BroadcastPrimetimeDrama#3

23%

42%

49%

44%

BroadcastPrimetimeDrama#4

28%

33%

43%

27%

26%

35%

44%

29%

ADULTS25-54ADULTS50+

CablePrimetime

UnscriptedSeries#1

Linear

24%

Streaming

41%

Linear

32%

Streaming

29%

CablePrimetime

UnscriptedSeries#2

22%

29%

20%

14%

CablePrimetime

UnscriptedSeries#3

38%

40%

40%

15%

CablePrimetime

UnscriptedSeries#4

26%

37%

21%

16%

CablePrimetime

UnscriptedSeries#5

24%

40%

18%

29%

Source:NielsenNationalTVPanelCo-ViewingAnalysis,consistingofdemopairsofthesameagegroup.Sixfirst-runtelecastminimumforlinearanalysis.

2026AnnualMarketingReportTrendstowatch:Whereeverydayattentionisgoing

Copyright©2026TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.|15

Anewsportsplaybook

Lookingahead,nearlyfourinfivemarketersexpectincreasesintheirsportssponsorships.17Acalendarthatincludesglobaltournaments,especiallyinadvanceofanOlympicyear,meansbigwaysforbrandstotapin.57%ofglobalbrandleadersviewsportsasaprimarydriverofbrandawarenessandnearlytwooutofthreeseesponsorshipasawaytoreachspecificfansegments.18Inthemeantime,today’sfansareengagingtheirfavoritesports,athletes,andcommentatorsyearround.Sosponsorshavetoshowupthere,too.

Winningintoday’ssportslandscaperequiresintelligenceon

fansegmentbehaviors

,attitudes,andsentimentsredefiningsponsorshipvalue.

17NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

18NielsenAnnualMarketingSurvey,2026

2026AnnualMarketingReport