Global media inflation to hit decade low, APAC markets stabilise

Global media inflation is projected to drop to 3.1% in 2026, marking its lowest level since 2014 (excluding the pandemic slump in 2020), ECI Media Management said in its 2026 Media Inflation Report. The slowdown follows years of post-pandemic demand spikes and coincides with easing consumer price inflation across major markets.

The report used data across 50 markets to analyse inflation trends for TV, Online Display, Online Video, Print, OOH and Radio.

In Asia-Pacific region, overall inflation is expected to fall from 4.1% in 2025 to 3.7% in 2026, pointing to a period of stability rather than contraction. Inflation for both offline and online media is predicted to move in near lockstep, with Online Video seeing the steepest rise at 4.4%, while Print continues to flatten at 1.1%.

Among other media channels, OOH (4.2%) and TV (3.2%) remain inflationary, while radio (1.1%) and print (0.6%) record the lowest global averages.

By region, Latin America will experience the highest media inflation at 6.4%, while EMEA (3.2%), APAC (3.7%), and North America (2.5%) will see moderate growth.

In APAC’s two biggest markets, India is among the world’s most inflationary markets and media inflation will ease slightly to 8.8%. China, on the other hand, is set to edge down to 2.8% next year.

A separate Ebiquity report offers a more downbeat view, forecasting zero media spend growth in 2026 and even a potential contraction in 2027. Ebiquity suggests that e-commerce will lift media costs by just 1.2%, with TV and print prices set to decline—a stark contrast to major agency projections of 5% or more adspend growth. 

Advertiser demand in India is expected to remain buoyant, buoyed by GDP growth of 6.2% in 2026, while China’s GDP is forecast at 4.4%, both above the global average of 3.1%. Advanced economies, meanwhile, are projected to lag at 1.3%,

Elsewhere, media inflation rates are expected to converge at around 5% in Taiwan, while Australia is forecast to see broader fluctuations between 0 to 5%. Singapore’s inflation is expected to rise around 5%, led by higher costs in TV, OOH, and Online Video.

“Asia remains the world’s engine of growth, and GDP growth in the region, while more moderate in 2025 and 2026 than in previous years, is still the envy of much of the West," said George Patten, head of Asia Pacific at ECI Media Management.

"Regional media inflation, and that of key markets including India and China, is forecast to change only slightly compared to 2025 levels, a sign of increasing maturity in the regional media landscape," he added.

ECI also flags AI-driven search and discovery tools as a potential disruptor to traditional advertising models. The report warns that generative AI and conversational search could shrink ad opportunities along the consumer journey by up to 47% during the consideration phase, threatening established media monetisation channels.

The full impact of AI undercut will depend on adoption rates and platform regulation. 

Other findings:

• Thailand is forecast to experience a sharp rise in Print and Radio inflation in 2026, coming out of a near-deflationary dip in 2025; TV inflation is the exception, expected to maintain a slight downward trend.

• AI-driven search tools may shrink traditional ad opportunities along the consumer journey by up to 47% during the consideration phase of media buying.

• Advertiser demand in India is being spurred by sustained GDP growth (forecast 6.2% for 2026), infrastructure investments, and improving investor sentiment.

• Global GDP is projected at 3.1% in 2026, with advanced economies lagging at 1.3%, China at 4.4%, India at 6.2%, and Latin America at 2.5%, reflecting regional divergence in economic performance.