Social Overtakes DSPs as Marketers Shift More Budget to Streaming
Social video is increasingly being treated less like a supplemental digital channel and more like a core TV buy.
Marketers are continuing to redirect video ad dollars toward streaming and social platforms, with social video now emerging as the industry’s top ad-buying channel.
According to new research from iSpot, more than half of marketers expect spending on social video and national streaming/CTV to increase in 2026, even as many anticipate flat or declining investments in traditional linear TV.
- Over a quarter expect streaming investment to rise by at least 10%, while roughly a third expect similar gains for social video.
- The shift is also changing how buyers transact. Social platforms (including YouTube) ranked as the No. 1 method for buying video ads this year, selected by 78% of respondents. In 2025, it ranked No. 3.
- DSPs and publisher-direct buying each followed at 75%.
- Smart TV OEMs also posted major gains as ad-buying destinations, climbing from 25% adoption in 2025 to 55% in 2026.
The data suggests that social video is increasingly being treated less like a supplemental digital channel and more like a core TV buy. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said at least half of their TV and streaming creative also runs on social video platforms.
For more insights, download iSpot’s 2026 TV and Video Ad Strategy Report here.
