Australia Internet Ad Market Hits $4.9 Billion in Q1, Erasing Seasonal March Pullback
Updated
Updated · B&T · May 26
Australia Internet Ad Market Hits $4.9 Billion in Q1, Erasing Seasonal March Pullback
2 articles · Updated · B&T · May 26
$4.9 billion in Q1 2026 marked Australia’s strongest March-quarter internet ad result, up 15.3% year on year and within 1% of the record December 2025 quarter.
Video drove much of the gain, rising 20.4% to $1.4 billion; social video jumped 29.4%, BVOD grew 10.1%, and video took 73.2% of total display spend.
Search and Directories stayed the biggest segment at $2.16 billion, up 13.9%—its fastest growth since the 2022 COVID recovery—while Classifieds rose 13.9% to $787 million.
IAB Australia said growth came from a broader advertiser base including SMEs, commerce-led businesses and new international entrants, though spending remained concentrated in a relatively narrow set of environments.
Automotive posted the biggest gain in general display share, up 1.7 percentage points as Chinese car brands became more visible, while retail also gained and health and beauty, entertainment and media, and FMCG lost share.
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