OOH Emerges as High-Growth Media Category; Audio Steadies; Print Declines

Ad Spending Growth Consolidates Around Innovation, Flexibility, and Consumer-first Engagement

Audio Steadies, Print Declines, and Out-of-Home Surges: The Myers Report Forecasts Shifting Ad Market Dynamics for 2026

The Myers Report 2025–2026 forecast for audio, print-originated, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising highlights the divergent paths these sectors are navigating in a fast-evolving media economy. Audio continues its steady evolution, with modest 2.1% growth fueled by the resilience of streaming and podcasts, even as terrestrial radio gradually declines. Dynamic innovations such as programmatic audio and voice-activated ad tech are keeping the medium relevant, particularly in finance and healthcare sectors.

In contrast, print-originated advertising remains on a downward slope. Newspapers are forecasted to decline by 3.9%, pressured by shrinking print audiences despite the success of digital subscription models at leading national dailies. Magazines face a similar trajectory with a 2.4% dip, although niche and luxury segments continue to leverage print’s prestige appeal and integrated influencer strategies to maintain value.

Out-of-home advertising stands out as a growth leader, projected to climb 7.8% in 2026. Fueled by digital transformation, mobile integration, and programmatic buying, OOH has emerged as a high-impact medium capable of driving performance and brand visibility in fragmented consumer environments.

These sector-specific shifts reflect broader structural changes in the advertising marketplace. Growth is consolidating around innovation, flexibility, and consumer-first engagement rather than legacy models, reaffirming The Myers Report’s focus on offering grounded, forward-looking forecasts rooted in marketplace realities.

The U.S. advertising landscape in 2025 continues to evolve, with streaming video emerging as a significant driver of growth. As consumer preferences shift towards on-demand and connected TV (CTV) experiences, advertisers are reallocating budgets to capitalize on these trends.

Notably, while The Myers Report maintains a tempered view of traditional linear and print media growth, it anticipates gains across dynamic formats, particularly influencer marketing, video gaming integrations, interactive TV, and Hispanic media, driven by shifting demographic patterns and cross-platform behavior.

The contrast between our +2.0% advertising-only growth in 2025 and our +5.79% total marketing growth is not a contradiction. It is a reflection of structural transformation. It underscores that growth is not returning to the old media model, but accelerating into one shaped by AI, performance integration, and consumer-driven platform preferences.

In a marketplace where consensus forecasts continue to conflate media categories and overestimate legacy strength, The Myers Report stands alone in offering both caution and clarity—projecting future trends with the realism of past lessons and the intelligence of emerging behaviors.

If you are a Substack subscriber to The Myers Report, scroll down for the OOH, Audio, Print 2025 and 2026 economic forecasts from the75-page 2025/2026 Advertising Economic Analysis, Media Financial Forecast, and Upfront/Newfront Overview, which is available to corporate subscribers of The Myers Report for download at www.MyersReports.com. Additional free excerpted reports are available at www.MyersReports.com. Subscribe as a free or paid subscriber to The Myers Report weekly Substack now for all our reports at only $9.95 monthly. Your funding support is the exclusive revenue model for The Myers Report and is truly appreciated.