Media Management

Global media inflation stabilises at 4%, WFA Outlook

Informing Media Choices

“Embedded media price inflation requires advertisers to constantly find new ways to make their ad budgets work harder.”

Global media inflation looks set to stabilise at around +4% for 2025 vs 2024, and 2026 vs 2025, according to the latest wave of Outlook, WFA’s biannual poll of media price inflation forecasts from market leaders across the media industry.

The consequence is that advertisers face sustained, embedded media inflation, with the new 4% global trendline signalling that the global media economy has settled into a new normal of moderate but persistent inflation, mirroring the wider economy.

The headline rate also hides a number of starker contrasts between regions and channels, highlighting opportunities for advertisers to identify smarter ways to invest their ad budgets.

Maturity vs momentum

Across mature Western economies, media inflation is moderating at around +3–4% in the US, +3% in the UK, and +4–5% across Western Europe. Participants put this down to a more cautious advertiser stance and gradual efficiency gains in digital media buying.

In emerging markets, the story is very different. Eastern Europe (+11%) and India (+9%) are seeing the steepest price growth, echoing strong GDP expansion and currency volatility. Inflation here is being driven less by supply scarcity and more by rising audience value and domestic advertiser demand.

Video remains king — but not all screens are equal

While broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) commands the strongest price inflation of any channel (around +5% per year), Prices for Connected TV (CTV) are almost flat (~+1%).

WFA Outlook contributors say supply is still running ahead of demand, and even in the US, the most mature market, price increases are moderate.

Buyers are still willing to pay a premium for trusted, curated broadcaster environments that combine reach with measurement confidence, while CTV’s fragmented, programmatic supply is dampening its pricing power.

Linear TV’s surprising resilience

Linear TV inflation remains around +5%, though in many countries this is explained by the steadily erosion of viewing; particularly of audiences which are scarcer and in higher demand.

Other key findings include:

Digital diversification: more players, not cheaper prices: Digital channels are no longer the deflationary force they once were.

Paid search, social video, and retail media are all inflating in line with the global average (~+4–5%), showing that any further pivots to digital channels may not deliver inflation relief.

Sub-regional contrasts: Europe remains the most bifurcated region: Northern markets steady, Eastern surging. APAC hides two different stories – inflation is steady in Japan but accelerating in India and Hong Kong.

“Embedded media price inflation requires advertisers to constantly find new ways to make their ad budgets work harder. By understanding how prices are moving by market, by region and by channel, WFA members can make more informed media investment choices, reaching their target audience more efficiently and therefore drive better campaign effectiveness.” said Tom Ashby, Global Lead, Media Services at WFA.

The full report is for WFA members only.

About WFA Outlook

WFA Outlook is published twice a year in April and October and is based on forecasts from market leaders across the global media industry. These include dentsu, Havas, Magna (IPG), Publicis, Omnicom, the7stars, Cortex, Ebiquity and mediasense.

Outlook now covers 42 markets and this report splits GCC into Saudi Arabia and UAE for the first time, adding coverage of two of the world’s fastest-growing markets.