Marketers Enter Upfront Negotiations With Cautious Budgets

As the TV industry heads into the 2026-27 upfront negotiations cycle, marketers are approaching budgets with noticeably more caution than they did a year ago. iSpot recently surveyed hundreds of brand and agency marketers, and found that 68.5% expect their overall marketing budgets to either stay flat or decline this year, reflecting broader economic uncertainty.

• The largest group of respondents (41.5%) said budgets will remain unchanged, while 27.0% anticipate cuts. That marks a shift from 2025, when 80% of marketers reported budgets holding steady or growing.
• Looking specifically at upfront spending, expectations are similarly restrained. Nearly half of respondents (47.5%) expect upfront budgets to remain the same year-over-year, up from 35% in 2025. 
• Meanwhile, 32% anticipate declines in upfront commitments, including 16.5% expecting drops of at least 10%.
• Even so, upfronts still play a major role in TV planning. On average, marketers said 37.4% of their TV budgets will go toward upfront commitments, while 38% expect upfronts to account for at least half of their TV spend.

For more insights, download iSpot’s 2026 TV and Video Ad Strategy Report here.