2026 ad budget check-in: where media money's moving, with Brandon Doerrer

Ad Age Media Reporter Brandon Doerrer gives a midyear check-in on 2026 ad spend, and breaks down the insights behind the data. He gets into why budgets are holding steady despite the economic pressure, what's happening in the upfronts (Disney's ask was a lot higher than buyers wanted to pay) and why streaming—not linear—is the thing keeping TV's growth numbers alive.

Hear more on growth in gaming advertising, Netflix and Omnicom's new AI targeting partnership and the complex shift in search. Plus, how World Cup marketing spend has impacted 2026 budgets.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~More on third quarter media buying trends

~How brands are using AI to solve data challenges

~EA's head of ads on video game brand integrations

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast