BIA Advisory Ups U.S. Local Advertising Forecast

BIA Advisory Services updates its 2026 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast, projecting total local ad revenue to reach $186.1 billion, up $1.6 billion (+0.9%) from the firm’s April 2026 estimate of $184.5 billion and approximately 9% year over year from 2025. BIA predicts that 6.5% of that ad spend will go to over-the-air radio and digital radio – about $12.2 billion. BIA says the increase is driven primarily by higher political ad spending heading into the midterms, along with continued strength in mobile.