Media buyers heading into the second half of 2026 appear to have reached a rare state of emotional maturity. They're still obsessed with AI, still pouring money into CTV and still demanding more measurement. The difference is that they're no longer acting like every new technology is about to reinvent civilization by Thursday.
According to Mediaocean's latest survey of 312 marketing professionals, the industry is shifting from broad experimentation toward practical deployment, operational efficiency and the eternal quest to explain where all the ad dollars went.