IPA Making Sense 2026

Now in its eighth year, the IPA report ‘Making Sense: The Commercial Media Landscape’ helps planners understand how shifts in commercial media consumption should shape channel and investment decisions. Using the latest IPA Touchpoints data, it examines the most important trends, changes and consistencies from the past 12 months and explains why they matter to planning.

Three messages stand out: changing delivery does not mean declining demand; fragmentation creates opportunities for more effective combinations of channels and contexts; and increasingly individualised consumption is putting shared media moments under pressure.

1. Change does not equal decline.

Despite headlines suggesting otherwise, we can all breathe a sigh of relief to know that traditional media is not dying. When looking at the media landscape from 2005 to pre-lockdown 2020, it is a portrait of consistency. Despite a number of new platforms and channels being launched within this timeframe, the patterns of media consumption for UK adults saw almost no change in 15 years: they were still watching video in the evening, listening to audio in the morning and OOH exposure was still building throughout the day and then tailing off towards the evening.

It’s worth noting that media habits did shift briefly in the years following the pandemic, particularly in 2022 and 2023. But by 2026, those familiar patterns have largely returned to what they have been for the past 15 years – even with the rise of new platforms like generative AI.

So, what does this tell us?

Delivery changes with the adoption of new platforms. While formats like video, audio and OOH have remained almost completely stable over the last 21 years, the way this content is consumed has changed drastically. We know that people still want to watch, listen, read and stay up to date, but how they’re doing it is what’s different.

Take TV, for example: It’s no secret that live and recorded viewing on the TV set has lost its share of media consumption, but all is not lost. In fact, that ‘lost’ time hasn’t moved to a completely different channel, like social media or a generative AI site. Instead, it has shifted to BVOD, SVOD and other online video platforms. This proves that the same need and appetite for content are still there, we’re just consuming it in a different way.

People still want to sit on the sofa and watch their favourite show after a hard day, but they’re no longer guaranteed to be watching it on ITV1 at 9pm. They might opt for Netflix at a time that suits them instead. The content, audience needs and societal role endure, even as the method of delivery evolves.

It’s also worth noting that, even in 2026, ITV and Channel 4 remain in the top five media properties by weekly reach among All Adults, at 39% and 31% respectively. This tells us that the media landscape may have become more complex, but great linear TV content hasn’t lost its ability to bring large audiences together: it’s just no longer the only show in town.

This shift in how people watch TV reflects a much wider move towards digital formats across commercial media. What was a 58:42 share favouring non-digital commercial media in 2015 is now 34:66 in favour of digital. Among 16-34s, this trend is even more pronounced: in 2026, a striking 85% of their curated commercial media time is spent within digital environments.

What this tells us here is that UK adults have not fallen out of love with video, they’ve simply got more options on where to watch it than ever before.

2. Fragmentation is an opportunity, not a problem:

Nowadays, with so many new platforms available, there is an abundance of choice. Gone are the days when advertising on one TV channel or one radio station was enough to cover all bases. Today, the challenge facing marketers isn’t a shortage of reach, it’s too much choice.

So, what does this mean for us?

As content increasingly flows across formats, platforms and devices, understanding where audiences are spending their time becomes more complex. Put simply, media investment has to work harder than ever to really cut through, particularly among younger audiences, whose media habits are more fragmented.

Audio is a good example of this. Commercial Live Radio’s share of curated commercial media time has fallen from 12% in 2015 to 9% in 2026. It would be easy to assume this means audio consumption is in decline, but growth across other formats and channels tells a different story. The decline in Commercial Live Radio has been offset by growth in commercial radio on demand, podcasts and streamed music. In fact, audio’s overall share has grown from 12% to 15% over the same period.

Once again, this shows that audio consumption isn’t going anywhere, it’s simply migrating to different formats.

 That’s why the most effective campaigns are increasingly built around diverse media plans that combine channels, contexts, touchpoints and moments. If brands want to recreate the scale that came much more easily in 2015, this broader mix is now essential.

3. The shared media moment is under pressure:

While we have more ways to connect than ever before, the reality is that media consumption has become increasingly isolated. Hyper-targeting gives us content that feels more relevant, but it can also create division, echo chambers and a greater sense of loneliness.

Back in 2010, for example, it was fairly safe to assume that the person you were chatting to at work had watched the latest episode of Eastenders or the X Factor final the night before. Nowadays, with hundreds of channels and streaming services to choose from, and more people choosing other types of media over TV in the evening, those shared, water-cooler-chat moments are much harder to find.

A family might still be sitting together in the living room, but they are now more likely to be using multiple screens and engaging with content that is personal to them and reflects their own interests. We may be more connected to the digital world than ever, but it’s the shared media experience that is paying the price.

In 2015, 40% of curated commercial media consumption among All Adults happened when people were alone. By 2026, that figure had risen to 44%. A four-percentage-point increase may not sound significant in the grand scheme of things, but it means that UK adults are now spending 10% more of their media time alone.

Among 16-34s, the shift is even more apparent, with this audience now spending 21% more of their curated commercial media time alone than they did in 2015.

What we’re seeing now isn’t decline but rather evolutionary opportunity. Just as newsbrands have moved online and radio has expanded through smartphones and voice devices, the constant is that content still leads. The difference is that the boundaries between devices have blurred, allowing audiences to engage with content on their own terms and at moments that suit the pace of modern life.

Winning attention now requires more sophisticated planning, grounded in a deeper understanding of how different media environments work. That understanding should guide context-aware creative and determine how channels, formats and moments work together across the plan.