For the first time, we have broken out the portion of US upfront digital video ad spending that goes to connected TV (CTV). This year, advertisers will increase their upfront CTV video ad spending by almost 50% year over year to $4.51 billion.

US programmatic digital display ad spending continued growing at double-digit rates during the pandemic, and we expect it to reach a milestone next year when more than 9 in 10 digital display ad dollars are transacted using some form of automation.

Check out how Motorola, Stanley Black & Decker, L'Oréal and other brands are growing with us.

Overall, traditional TV companies reported a successful upfront season, in line with our estimate that US upfront TV ad spending will rebound from its 3.5% drop in 2020, growing by 7.6% this year to pull in $19.90 billion. Notably, most of that growth will be driven by upfront digital video spending, which will rise by 42.5% this year.

US programmatic display ad spending was up more than 10% in 2020 despite the pandemic-induced recession and will rebound this year as advertisers continue shifting budgets to flexible, measurable media.

Why it matters: CTV will be a top-priority venue for advertisers this year, with over half (54%) of US digital media professionals naming it a leading priority for 2021, per an October 2020 survey by Integral Ad Science. We estimate that US CTV ad spend will grow even faster this year than last, up 48.6% year over year (YoY) to $13.41 billion. What to look out for: Roku is first up today.

Almost all digital display advertising is transacted programmatically now—but that doesn't mean programmatic isn't still evolving. Gila Wilensky, president, US at programmatic media firm Xaxis, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss what Xaxis is expecting for the next 10 years of programmatic advertising, including how AI will continue to evolve in the space, how addressability and measurability will change post-cookie, and what the maturation of ecommerce means for digital advertising.