WPP Media Global Advertising Forecast: Global ad revenue set to reach $1.14 trillion

WPP Media’s 2025 Global This Year Next Year End-of-Year report offers a fresh perspective on how global trends in culture, commerce, government, and tech are shaping the industry, and what that means for marketers in the months and years to come.  

The report, which analyses advertising investments over the last 12 months and shares estimates for 2026 and beyond, paints a clear picture of a global advertising market defying initial concerns, showcasing remarkable resilience and an upwardly revised outlook for 2026. This is largely attributed to trade tariff outcomes proving more favorable than expected and the AI investment boom. 

The updated forecast projects global advertising revenue will grow 8.8% (excluding U.S. political advertising) in 2025, reaching $1.14 trillion. This momentum is set to continue into 2026, with an anticipated 7.1% growth (excluding U.S. political advertising). Over a five-year period, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% is expected, reflecting sustained expansion.  

Content-driven advertising remains the largest category, at $663.5 billion and 58.0% share of global revenue. Social and digital platforms represent the primary growth engine for content-driven advertising, reaching $413.0 billion in 2025 (+12.8%) before advancing to $445.4 billion in 2026 (+7.8%). TV will reach $167.5 billion in 2025 (+0.7%). Gaming represents the fastest-growing content advertising channel, expanding 29.5% to $8.5 billion in 2025, though absolute revenue remains just 0.7% of total ad revenue in 2025.  

Notably, commerce is projected to reach $178.2 billion in global ad revenue in 2025, surpassing total TV ad revenue for the first time.  

Intelligence (mostly search for now, with AI playing an increasingly larger role) will reach $244.9 billion, up 10.2% over 2024 and representing 21.4% of total ad revenue. Growth will remain at 10.3% in 2026. 

Going forward, expect generative AI to transform creative, targeting, and measurement in the marketing space — as well as new AI-native advertisers entering the ecosystem.