Comscore 2026 State of Programmatic Report: CTV and Audio Expected to Drive Growth With Cross-Channel Performance Measurement Critical to Smarter Allocation Across Platforms

Third annual Proximic by Comscore report underscores performance accountability, with AI-powered optimization now viewed as essential

Proximic by Comscore

released its 2026 State of Programmatic Report, based on over 200 media buyer respondents, with 58% expecting their programmatic investment to increase in 2026 and 87% saying cross-channel performance metrics inside programmatic platforms are critical or valuable for decision-making. The findings signal a maturing programmatic market focused less on scale at all costs and more on intentional spend, stronger control layers, and accountable performance across channels.

“Programmatic is entering its mature growth phase, where buyers are moving budget with purpose and demanding transparency, quality, and outcomes across every screen,” said Rachel Gantz, Managing Director of Proximic by Comscore. “This year’s report shows the overwhelming majority of marketers recognize that AI-powered optimization is essential and that the next wave of growth will come from smarter allocation across CTV, audio, and privacy-forward activation.”

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Key findings from the 2026 State of Programmatic Report

Programmatic growth continues, led by CTV

• More than half, or 58% of respondents expect their programmatic investment to increase in 2026.
• CTV and Audio are the only two media channels expected to see year-over-year programmatic budget growth, with CTV expected to capture 26% of media budgets on average and audio expected to capture 10% on average.
• The largest funding source for programmatic CTV and audio budgets in 2026 is expected to be from linear TV. 45% of marketers are moving budgets from linear TV to CTV, and 21% are reallocating spend from linear to programmatic audio.

AI is now table stakes, with a hybrid operating model

• 82% of marketers say AI-powered optimization is essential.
• 69% of respondents plan to use some AI-generated creative, but only 11% expect AI to make up more than 40% of their creatives.
• Top AI applications marketers expect to rely on in 2026:
  1. Audience targeting and modeling (88%)
  2. Campaign pacing and bid automation (77%)
  3. Measurement and attribution (71%)
  4. Fraud detection and brand safety (70% )

Privacy-forward activation pushes contextual and first-party approaches

• 43% of respondents plan to increase their use of contextual targeting in 2026.
• In privacy-regulated verticals, 50% of respondents say that contextual is their main targeting tactic.

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Outcomes matter more than engagement

• Marketers rank the following metrics as most important when measuring the effectiveness of their programmatic campaigns:
• Conversion rate (62% of respondents)
• ROAS (47% of respondents)
• Reach and frequency (46% of respondents)
• Click through rate (CTR) (39% of respondents)
• Social engagements (7% of respondents)

As programmatic expands further into CTV and audio and privacy expectations continue to rise, buyers are prioritizing strategies that improve quality, reduce risk, and connect spend to business outcomes. The 2026 report introduces an evolved view of the programmatic stack, focusing on “Growth, Control, and Performance,” reflecting how buying teams are actually planning and operating today.