There's no shortage of digital trends poised to take the marketing industry spotlight in 2026, with experts closely tracking consumers' podcasting behavior and how agentic AI evolves.

"Standards around advertising agents are going to take off in 2026, leading to a real revolution in advertising," predicts our analyst Yory Wurmser in a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers."

In the episode, EMARKETER analysts explored their competing predictions for the most significant digital trends to watch in 2026, providing insights for businesses preparing their long-term digital strategies.

Agentic ad standards

While programmatic advertising already automates much of the ad buying process, Wurmser said agentic systems will take automation further by removing humans from most of the loop.

"People would still be there for strategy, for approving adjustments, but a lot of the instantaneous optimization would be done by agents," he said.

The challenge in implementing these systems stems from the variety of data sources for identity, brand information, and creative assets, each with their own APIs and data schemas. New standards being developed will provide a common language for agents to communicate with each other.

Wurmser said two key agentic ad standards are emerging: the IAB TechLab's Agentic Real-Time Buying Framework (ARTF) for the programmatic landscape, and the Ad CP standard, which creates direct links between publishers and advertisers throughout the ecosystem.

"The more transformational one is Ad CP, since it doesn't just work within the programmatic landscape... it could work all throughout the ecosystem," said Wurmser. "That one is the one that is probably going to get the most resistance, but also the most long-term uptake because it really can make a huge difference."

The business implications of these standards are significant. They enable real-time optimization across the entire advertising ecosystem, something currently limited to walled gardens and select open web players.

"The incentive structure is pretty big from the buyers of ads and the sellers of ads," Wurmser says, noting that these standards could also enable entirely new types of advertising formats.

YouTube's video podcast domination

Another significant trend analysts expect for 2026 is the continued surge in video podcasting, with YouTube positioned to benefit most substantially.

"YouTube is going to have more than double the amount of podcast viewers than its closest rival in the US, which is Spotify," said EMARKETER analyst Ross Benes on the episode.

He said this advantage stems from YouTube's existing position as a video platform.

"If you open up Spotify or Pandora, iHeartMedia, you're used to listening. If you're opening up YouTube, you're already habituated to watching video," said Benes. "YouTube didn't have to put in a lot of effort to already build a base for podcast watchers. They kind of just stumbled into it."

Almost 80% (79%) of monthly podcast listeners worldwide watch video podcasts at least some of the time, according to August 2025 data from Acast and Differentology.

• Some 40% mostly listen but sometimes watch, where 27% listen and watch equally.
• The data found 12% mostly watch, but sometimes listen.

The economics of video podcasting

"The economics are kind of encouraging more of video podcasts," said Benes. "There are several platforms that are incentivizing creators to make them. The CPMs can be higher with video, and it's also getting easier to produce and edit video due to AI and some other tools."

However, not all podcasts will benefit from adding video. Success requires visual elements that enhance the experience, such as high-end studios, compelling hosts, or supporting visuals.

"When it's dimly lit and it's just guys in their basement, you could probably just listen to that and not have to watch it," said Benes.

But major publishers are putting bets on video podcasts. Streaming services like Netflix and Samsung TV+ are exploring podcast content as a cost-effective alternative to traditional programming.

"Video streaming services are also just looking for cheap content... that's significantly cheaper than producing a TV show," said Benes.

Listen to the full episode.

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