INFOGRAPHIC

Quarterly Global Advertising Spend Trends: Q4 2025

Q4 2025 Advertising Trends By Industry Vertical

PubMatic’s Quarterly Ad Spend report was created to provide both publishers and advertisers with insights into the changing trends of the advertising industry. Here are the key digital trends from Q4 2025’s advertising spend data.

AD SPENDING CHANGE BY ADVERTISER CATEGORY

Q4 2025, YoY

Programmatic ad spend held steady year-over-year, but impressions surged, underscoring continued audience engagement and delivery efficiency. While impression growth extended across all platforms, Mobile led the momentum.

Pets, Sports, and Hobbies & Interests posted strong YoY ad spend gains, extending their already impressive double‑digit growth since Q2. Notably, Hobbies & Interests’ growth was unseasonably high through Q4.

Automotive ad spend peaked earlier than usual, with a November surge replacing the typical December spike — potentially driven by the conclusion of U.S. EV incentives.

LARGEST ADVERTISER AD SPEND INCREASES DURING Q4, BY CATEGORY

News: Despite a year‑over‑year decline, the category rebounded strongly in Q4 (Oct–Dec), marking the fastest in‑quarter growth as advertisers capitalized on increased news consumption and real‑time event coverage.

Automotive: Seasonality drove a sharp Q4 surge, with ad sales pulled forward from December into November amid early holiday promotions and inventory pushes — producing modest YoY growth.

Health & Fitness: Seasonal momentum boosted spend late in Q4, aligning with pre‑New Year’s health campaigns and wellness resolutions, making it one of the strongest‑performing verticals entering 2026.

SMALLEST ADVERTISER AD SPEND INCREASES DURING Q4, BY CATEGORY

Real Estate & Careers: Both categories saw seasonal slowdowns, with ad spend contracting through Q4 as market activity and hiring paused ahead of the new year — consistent with historical patterns.

Pets: Ad spending declined through Q4, counter to typical seasonal gains. The category entered October at record highs, pulling forward ad sales that normally occur in November and December.

Despite the Q4 slowdown, Pets still delivered a standout year, posting a 55% increase in Q4 ad spend YoY, signaling sustained advertiser confidence and consumer engagement in the category.

AD SPENDING CHANGE BY ADVERTISER CATEGORY

2025, YoY

Global programmatic ad spending increased year over year, with growth largely concentrated in the Pets (+65%), News (+54%), and Sports (+39%) categories. This reflects shifting advertiser priorities toward areas that attract strong community engagement and consistent content consumption.

The surge in these categories suggests renewed confidence from brands prioritized contextually relevant, high-engagement environments. Pets continues to benefit from expanding consumer spending on pet care, while News and Sports maintain steady demand tied to real-time content and live coverage opportunities.

Note: The Family & Parenting category has been omitted from this analysis due to a one-off campaign significantly inflating year-over-year growth figures.

MORE INSIGHTS

Explore the latest trends in video ad inventory, or check out our rolling 4 quarter lookback on select categories for seasonal trends.

PubMatic’s data analytics team analyzes over 1 trillion global advertiser bids on a daily basis, utilizing the company’s best-in-class analytics capabilities. This snapshot is based on PubMatic-sourced operational data. Advertiser category definitions are aligned to IAB’s content taxonomy categories​

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