Blue Tiger Engage July 2026
BT Engage: July Newsletter
Welcome to Blue Tigers monthly newsletter Engage, bringing you all the latest news, trends and updates from across the media landscape. In this month’s edition we look at the major news stories that captured the headlines as we head into H2.
UK ad spend jumps 9.3% in Q1 2026
UK advertising investment rose 9.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching £11.7bn, according to the latest quarterly Expenditure Report published by the Advertising Association and WARC. The figures, drawn from a survey of media owners and their representative industry bodies, point to broad-based growth across both established and emerging formats, with digital channels leading the way. Online radio grew 22.1% and digital out of home rose 17.6%, while double-digit gains were also recorded in retail media (17.9%), out of home (15.0%), social media (17.7%), and addressable TV (15.5%). Search remained the largest single category by investment, pulling in £4.6 billion during the quarter on growth of 9.8%.
Looking ahead, AA/WARC forecasts UK ad investment will grow 8.2% across 2026 to reach £50.5bn, with momentum expected to carry into 2027 with a further 5.9% increase, bringing total spend to £53.5bn. Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford said the first quarter’s performance reflects the industry’s continued resilience and rapid evolution, noting that advertisers of all sizes are finding value across the full advertising ecosystem as they lean on marketing services to innovate, compete, and grow.
Netflix overtakes BBC as UK viewers’ first choice, says Ofcom
Netflix has become the UK’s first choice when viewers decide what to watch, overtaking the BBC for the first time, according to Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report.
The regulator found that 26% of UK viewers now turn first to Netflix, narrowly ahead of the BBC on 25%, with ITV a distant third on 9%. The findings underline the continued shift in viewing habits, amid a maturing market for streaming services.
While Netflix has become the country’s leading destination for programme discovery, public service broadcasters continue to dominate overall viewing. The BBC remains the UK’s most-watched broadcaster, accounting for around 18% of all video viewing, ahead of ITV, while Netflix represents approximately 9%.
While Netflix occupied the top two positions for the most-watched programmes overall in 2025 with K-Pop Demon Hunters and Adolescence, the BBC has so far claimed eight of the ten most-watched programmes of 2026.
More than half of these top-performing titles were dramas, including The Night Manager [ironically part-funded by Amazon] and Run Away, demonstrating the enduring appeal of high-quality UK programming.
Major live and event television continues to unite audiences at scale. Celebrity Traitors became the BBC’s biggest title of 2025, with the finale attracting an average audience of 14.8 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The report suggests the rapid expansion of subscription video services has slowed, with household penetration largely plateauing after years of strong growth. Instead, competition is increasingly centred on engagement and viewing time rather than attracting first-time subscribers.
YouTube also continues to strengthen its position on the television screen, with more viewing taking place on connected TVs rather than mobile devices. Ofcom said the platform is now firmly established as part of mainstream television consumption, alongside traditional broadcasters and subscription streaming services.
The divergence between younger and older audiences continues to widen. Younger viewers are spending progressively less time watching scheduled television in favour of streaming services, social video and gaming, while older audiences remain the backbone of linear television viewing.
The findings reinforce the changing competitive landscape for broadcasters and streaming services. While Netflix has achieved a symbolic milestone by becoming viewers’ preferred starting point, traditional broadcasters continue to command the largest share of total viewing through live news, sport and entertainment programming.
The report also highlights the growing challenge facing UK public service broadcasters as they seek to maintain prominence in an increasingly fragmented viewing market, where streaming platforms, video-sharing services and connected TV ecosystems are competing for audiences’ attention.
AA/WARC Expenditure Report Shows Online Radio Was the Fastest Growing Advertising Medium in Q1 2026
Advertising investment in online radio rose by 22.1% year-on-year, outperforming all other media categories. The latest AA/WARC expenditure report highlights that online radio was the UK’s fastest growing media channel in the first quarter of 2026.
At the same time, total radio advertising grew by 4.2%, underlining radio’s continued strength as a multiplatform medium.
Radiocentre’s CEO Matt Payton said, “In a tough market, the strong performance we have seen in the first quarter of this year suggests advertisers are continuing to see the benefits of investing in multiplatform audio, with both digital audio and broadcast radio providing them with a trusted and regulated space to amplify their advertising and drive business success.”
For further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Blue Tiger Marketing, we’re here to help you navigate the changing landscape effectively, leveraging new opportunities while mitigating potential risks.
Sources:
The Media Leader, Radiocentre, Tech Crunch, Video Week, Adexchanger
