Social video ad spend is set to grow faster than CTV in 2026
Social video ad spending is on track to outpace connected TV in growth rate this year, according to Digiday's analysis published May 1. The shift reflects where both reach and performance data are aligning — brands that moved budget from linear TV to CTV are making a second rotation, redirecting incremental dollars toward social video where creator-driven formats deliver measurable lower-funnel outcomes. The acceleration is most pronounced in gaming, sports, and lifestyle verticals where creator audiences track closely with the 18-34 demo that CTV struggles to capture. Brands that locked in multi-year CTV-heavy commitments are renegotiating their channel mix as the attribution data comes in.
THE BREAKDOWN
Gaming, sports, and lifestyle are the verticals driving this reallocation — which puts your roster directly in the path of redirected CTV budget. When a brand says influencer spend is flat, ask whether their CTV and social video allocations are being consolidated. That reframes the conversation from inventory constraints to budget sourcing. Frame your clients as the alternative to CTV spend, not a complement. Bring impression-to-conversion data from prior campaigns — brands are running tighter attribution models and making rotation decisions faster than in prior years.
Get the full briefing weekly
Read by talent managers, agents, and brand partnership professionals every Friday.