BIA Advisory Services has released its 10 Trends for 2026 report, highlighting “Radio’s Resilience Through Digital Extension” as one of the top defining trends for the local advertising market. CEO Tom Buono emphasizes that “innovation alone isn’t enough” — success will depend on pairing it with data-driven insights.
The U.S. local advertising market is projected to reach $182 billion in 2026, driven by digital transformation, shifting audience behaviors, and midterm election spending.
- Political advertising will surge, with $9 billion expected in midterm election spending, boosting demand for local TV, streaming, and hybrid video inventory.
- Connected TV (CTV)/OTT ad spending is forecast to hit $3.6 billion, up 9.7% year-over-year.
- Social media ad revenue will reach $42.6 billion, with social video accounting for over 70% of local social spend.
- Out-of-home (OOH) advertising will grow 5% to $9.2 billion, fueled by digital screens and programmatic tools.
- Local advertisers are prioritizing precision and personalization, with 63% of consumers responding better to localized ads — especially in real estate, leisure, and dining.
Radio remains a vital player in this evolving landscape. Local audio sellers are expanding into streaming, podcasts, geotargeted digital inventory, programmatic audio, in-car listening, interactive voice ads, and FM zone targeting. These digital extensions will enable stations to secure larger, cross-platform campaigns.
“Local audio will evolve rapidly in 2026,” the report states. “Emerging digital extensions are creating fresh opportunities for sellers to innovate, target smarter, and win more business.”