Outcomes Are Top of Mind for Advertisers at the 2026 Upfronts

As media companies and streamers roll out their best pitches at this year’s Upfronts, new survey data from iSpot signals where the money is actually heading. While 41.5% of brands, agencies, and publishers plan to keep their total ad budgets flat year-over-year, 51% of marketers say they’ll increase spend on streaming, CTV, and social video — with more than a quarter expecting streaming investment to grow by 10% or more. Traditional linear TV, on the other hand, is bracing for another year of stagnation or cuts as marketers reallocate dollars to channels with greater flexibility and measurability.

Upfront-specific budgets are shifting, too. Nearly half of marketers (47.5%) expect their Upfront commitments to stay the same, up from (35% last year), while business outcomes have emerged as the top factor in media negotiations (45.5%). That focus on accountability plays directly to CTV’s strengths. With ad-supported SVOD subscriptions climbing to 110 million in the U.S., advertisers heading into the Upfronts have more streaming inventory, more performance-driven tools, and more reasons than ever to make CTV a centerpiece of their 2026 strategy.

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