PQ Media Forecasts Stronger 2026 As Even-Year Events Boost Global Ad Spending.

The U.S. remained the world's largest media market in 2025 with total advertising and marketing spending of $757.56 billion. That was a 7% year-to-year gain, although PQ Media says the pace of growth was slower than the 9.6% increase in 2024 with only a handful of special federal elections to fill vacant seats. The firm says 2026 is expected to deliver much stronger growth, not only from a flood of midterm election spending, but also special events like this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

It is one of the key factors in why PQ Media expects global advertising to grow at a swifter pace this year. It forecasts spending will rise 9.8% in 2026, up from a 6.6% gain last year. Its newly published “Global Advertising & Marketing Spending Forecast 2026-2030” says that not only is the U.S. poised for sizable gains, but global recessionary fears are waning.

"Early pacing data in 2026 shows that brands are increasing their budgets for the even-year events, but also due to consumers continuing to purchase products despite rising costs,” says PQ Media CEO Patrick Quinn. The firm’s analysts have also observed that many media segments are again mirroring TV's even-year/odd-year growth swings fueled by international sporting events and federal and local elections worldwide. “We expect the overall advertising and marketing sector to decelerate again in 2027, with fewer elections in major global markets and the lesser attendance at international championships like the Rugby and Cricket World Cups, as well as the Women's FIFA World Cup," Quinn explains.

PQ Media says it also detects political campaigns are shifting away from their high reliance on broadcast television as ratings plummet and younger demos choose subscription streaming services instead of ad-based options. As a result, they are shifting dollars to other traditional media, including podcasting and influencer marketing in order to reach voters.

For radio, analysts predict total global radio revenue will climb 8.5% this year, which is bigger than the 4.8% growth rate it recorded in 2025 when advertising and marketing spend totaled $51.56 billion worldwide. In the U.S., PQ Media is seeing similar trends. It projects U.S. radio revenue will increase 9.1% this year, following a smaller 4.5% gain last year when it estimates total spending reached $20.06 billion. Those figures include not only over-the-air AM/FM spending, but also what is spent on streaming radio, podcasting, and sponsored events and promotions.

Yet the report says a spending shift toward digital and alternative media continues. In the U.S. last year, PQ Media calculates 60.4% of all media spending went into non-traditional media options. That is ahead of the 55% global average last year, which is up 12.5 points from 2020. The U.S. market wasn’t alone. The report says 12 of the 20 biggest global ad markets saw more than half of their media dollars spent on digital and alternative channels last year.

The global transitional ad market still rose 1.2% last year to $850.6 billion. And thanks to the political ads and special events on the calendar, PQ Media projects global traditional advertising and marketing spending will post a 4.8% increase in 2026. In comparison, it says the digital market grew 11.4% last year—and is pacing to increase 13.8% in 2026.

Even as PQ Media projects 2026 will be a stronger adverting year in the U.S., only to step back in 2027, the back and forth will have an even bigger peak in two years. Quinn expects an even stronger ad market in 2028 when the U.S. hosts the Summer Olympics and there is what is expected to be a fierce Presidential election campaign that will produce record ad and marketing spending.