UK ad spend up 9.3% to £11.7bn in Q1 as TV market stays flat
The Advertising Association and WARC's latest Expenditure Report puts UK ad spend at £11.7 billion for the first quarter of 2026, a 9.3 percent rise on the same period last year. Growth was uneven: retail media rose 17.9 percent, social media 17.7 percent and out-of-home 15 percent, while cinema fell 17.6 percent and published media dropped 5.9 percent. TV spend grew 0.8 percent overall, with a 15.5 percent rise in addressable TV offsetting continued declines in linear sales. On the strength of these figures, the two bodies raised their full-year forecast to £50.5 billion for 2026, up from an April estimate of £49.8 billion, and to £53.5 billion for 2027. Stephen Woodford, chief executive of the Advertising Association, said the quarter showed that "advertisers, large and small, are finding value across our entire advertising ecosystem, relying on advertising and marketing services to help them innovate, compete, grow and create jobs."
Campaigns weighted toward linear TV are competing for a slice of a market growing under one percent, while addressable inventory expands by double digits and full-year TV spend heads toward 3.7 percent growth on World Cup demand. Retail media, social media and out-of-home are pulling budget away from cinema and published media, both set for further declines through 2027. Budget splits built for 2025 need a recheck against where the £50.5 billion is actually going in 2026.