CTV and Retail Media Networks Set to Propel Advertising Growth Through 2026 – Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Connected TV (CTV) and Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are rapidly emerging as pivotal forces driving advertising growth throughout 2026. These platforms are fundamentally reshaping the advertising landscape by providing retailers with new revenue streams and advanced personalization capabilities that enhance consumer engagement.

Who should care: VPs of retail, store operations leaders, eCommerce directors, customer experience teams, and retail technology decision-makers.

What happened?

CTV and RMNs have been identified as key catalysts for growth in the advertising industry in 2026. Retail Media Networks offer retailers lucrative opportunities to monetize their customer interactions by delivering targeted advertising directly within their digital properties. By leveraging rich first-party customer data, retailers can create highly personalized ad campaigns that resonate deeply with consumers, driving both engagement and sales. Meanwhile, Connected TV is revolutionizing the advertising space by enabling advertisers to target audiences with precision based on detailed viewer data. This allows brands to reach specific demographic segments through streaming content, bridging the gap between traditional TV and digital advertising.

The convergence of online and offline data through these platforms significantly enhances ad personalization, making advertisements more relevant and compelling for consumers. As a result, advertisers are increasingly deploying integrated campaigns that span both CTV and RMNs, maximizing reach and impact across multiple touchpoints. This multi-channel approach not only improves targeting accuracy but also facilitates closed-loop measurement, enabling advertisers to track campaign performance from impression to conversion more effectively than ever before.

Why now?

The accelerated adoption of CTV and RMNs is driven by a broader industry shift toward data-driven personalization in advertising. Over the past 6 to 18 months, advertisers have increasingly prioritized first-party data to refine targeting and improve campaign effectiveness amid growing privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies. Additionally, the rising importance of closed-loop attribution—tracking the full customer journey from ad exposure to purchase—has made these platforms especially attractive. Retailers are also motivated by the need to diversify revenue streams in a highly competitive market, making CTV and RMNs essential components of their growth strategies.

So what?

The rise of CTV and RMNs signals a strategic transformation in how retailers approach advertising, emphasizing the critical role of data-driven personalization and diversified revenue generation. Retailers that successfully harness these platforms can significantly enhance customer engagement by delivering more relevant and timely advertising, ultimately driving higher conversion rates and increased sales. This trend also underscores the growing importance of first-party data as a competitive asset, enabling more precise targeting and robust measurement of advertising effectiveness.

What this means for you:

• For VPs of retail: Explore strategic partnerships with media companies to expand data capabilities and broaden advertising reach.
• For eCommerce directors: Invest in technologies that integrate online and offline data sources to improve ad personalization and campaign performance.
• For customer experience teams: Prioritize the development of personalized ad content that aligns closely with consumer preferences and behaviors to boost engagement.

Quick Hits

• Impact / Risk: The integration of CTV and RMNs could disrupt traditional advertising models, posing risks for brands that fail to adapt quickly.
• Operational Implication: Retailers must enhance their data analytics capabilities to fully capitalize on the advanced personalization opportunities these platforms offer.
• Action This Week: Review current advertising strategies to incorporate CTV and RMNs, and evaluate potential partnerships with media companies to leverage data more effectively.