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 following forecasts and analyses are excerpted from the 75-page 2025/2026 Advertising Economic Analysis, Media Financial Forecast, and Upfront/NewFront Overview plus additional excerpted reports are available for download at www.MyersReports.com
Audio, Print-Originated, Out-of-Home
Audio (Terrestrial Radio, Streaming, Podcasts)
2025 Estimate: $14.2B | 2026 Forecast: $14.5B | YoY Change: +2.1%
Audio remains a highly adaptable and context-rich channel, with strength in commuter listening, local activation, and storytelling formats. While terrestrial radio continues its slow decline, it is increasingly offset by growth in streaming audio (Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora) and explosive podcast monetization. Advertisers are attracted to host-read ads, programmatic inventory, and brand-safe spoken-word formats. Innovations like dynamic ad insertion and audio-to-action features (e.g., Alexa/voice response) are improving attribution. Growth is moderate but sustainable, especially in finance, healthcare, and B2B sectors.
Print-Originated Newspaper Advertising
2025 Estimate: $5.1B | 2026 Forecast: $4.9B | YoY Change: -3.9%
Newspapers continue to decline as a mass advertising medium, facing audience attrition and migration to digital. However, they retain value in local market targeting, political advertising, and public policy campaigns. National newspapers (e.g., The New York Times, Wall Street Journal) have successfully shifted to digital subscription models but have seen reduced ad volumes. Print remains relevant for legal notices, real estate, and high-end financial services. Expect further declines in print-specific spending, though digital extensions (sponsored content, e-newsletters) are blurring traditional budget lines.
Consumer Print-Originated Magazine Advertising
2025 Estimate: $4.1B | 2026 Forecast: $4.0B | YoY Change: -2.4%
Magazines hold value in beauty, fashion, luxury, and lifestyle categories, but their role has evolved into niche and brand-aligned storytelling. Print circulations have stabilized among loyal readers, while digital editions, social content spinouts, and branded commerce extend engagement. High-gloss placements remain valuable for prestige advertisers, and custom publishing (e.g., sponsored inserts) has emerged as a creative differentiator. Growth is flat to slightly negative, but publishers with integrated influence and commerce ecosystems (like Condé Nast or Dotdash Meredith) are driving higher CPM value through bundled programs.
Out-of-Home (OOH)
2025 Estimate: $10.2B | 2026 Forecast: $11.0B | YoY Change: +7.8%
OOH has emerged as a high-growth media category, fueled by digital transformation, mobile retargeting, and context-aware creative. Large format digital billboards, transit displays, airport screens, and urban street furniture are increasingly programmatically accessible, with flexible creative rotation and real-time messaging. Integration with mobile location data allows for closed-loop attribution and audience extension, driving interest from performance marketers. OOH is uniquely positioned to capture mass attention in fragmented media environments, and with political, entertainment, and auto categories leaning back in, 2026 growth is strong.
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 in 2026 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 corporate subscriber to The Myers Report, your full PDF copy of the 75-page 2025/2026 Advertising Economic Analysis, Media Financial Forecast, and Upfront/NewFront Overview is available for download at www.MyersReports.com using your corporate email address. If you believe you are a subscriber and did not receive the full report, please contact us at MyersReport@gmail.com for immediate assistance. For non-subscribers, the full report is available for individual purchase at $2,950 at www.myersreports.com. You may also subscribe to the complete 2025 series of 24 white papers from The Myers Report, providing discounted access to proprietary insights, forecasts, and market intelligence throughout the year.
