Streaming ad spending is projected to approach $20 billion by 2029, putting it within striking distance of traditional linear TV advertising, according to estimates cited by The Wall Street Journal. The shift reflects a major change in consumer behavior as viewers move toward lower-cost, ad-supported streaming plans and advertisers follow them into connected-TV environments. For local media sellers and agencies, the opportunity is not to treat streaming as a threat, but to reposition radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital as the local marketing system that builds awareness before the viewer ever picks a platform.

Canva’s 2026 State of Marketing and AI report shows a striking divide: 97% of marketing leaders use AI daily, while 78% of consumers still prefer ads made by people. For local media sellers and agencies, the lesson is not to reject AI, but to use it carefully, transparently and with strong human judgment. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital companies can help local advertisers avoid “AI slop” by combining smarter creative tools with local insight, trusted environments and better standards.

Retailers are moving beyond broad discounts and toward AI-powered promotions that can target the right consumer with the right offer at the right moment. For local media companies and ad agencies, this shift creates both a warning and an opportunity: advertisers will expect more proof, sharper targeting and better campaign outcomes. Radio, TV, cable, newspapers, magazines, outdoor and digital sellers can strengthen their value by helping local retailers combine brand awareness, audience data and timely promotional strategy instead of simply selling ad space around another sale.

A new Proton report estimates that the average U.S. Google user represents about $1,605 a year in advertising value, with some high-value profiles worth far more based on age, device, search behavior, geography and advertiser demand. For local media sellers and agencies, the finding is less about Google alone and more about the market’s growing willingness to put a precise dollar value on consumer attention. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital sellers can use this as a timely reminder: local audiences are not commodities; properly defined, they are valuable segments advertisers are already paying heavily to reach.

Meta’s reported decline of 20 million daily active users across its family of apps suggests that even the largest digital platforms can lose audience momentum when feeds become cluttered, repetitive or low-value. For local media sellers and agencies, the lesson is clear: advertisers do not simply need impressions; they need attention in environments people still trust, use and value. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and local digital can use this moment to argue that quality content, community relevance and audience loyalty are increasingly valuable alternatives to algorithm-driven clutter.

Local digital advertising is no longer the fast-growth category many media companies built their future around. With digital now representing roughly 72% of local ad spending, the battle is shifting from category growth to market-share capture. For radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital sellers, the opportunity is no longer simply to “sell digital,” but to prove why local advertisers should move more of their money away from Google, Meta and national platforms and into locally accountable media partnerships.

TikTok Shop’s rapid growth in health and beauty shows how quickly product discovery, search, social proof and purchase are collapsing into one consumer journey. For local media companies and ad agencies, the lesson is not simply that TikTok is gaining share, but that advertisers now need searchable, credible, educational content across every medium. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital sellers can use this trend to help local advertisers build awareness, validate trust and move consumers from first consideration to repeat purchase.

Major ad agency, Publicis Groupe’s claim that 86% of its first-quarter 2026 revenue was tied to AI-powered capabilities signals that artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental side project in advertising. For local ad agencies and media sellers, the message is clear: AI will increasingly shape planning, targeting, creative, optimization and reporting, but human judgment will still determine whether campaigns actually work. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital sellers should use AI to become faster, smarter and more consultative—without surrendering the local knowledge and trust that remain their competitive advantage.

A new study from the American Association of Political Consultants Foundation suggests that AI disclaimers on political ads may be reducing voter trust rather than improving transparency. For local media sellers and ad agencies, the lesson is clear: political advertisers will need more than legal compliance—they will need credible media environments, careful creative execution and voter-sensitive messaging. Radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital platforms can strengthen their value in political campaigns by helping candidates communicate clearly, disclose responsibly and avoid turning transparency into suspicion.

AI Overviews are accelerating a shift toward “Google Zero,” where users get answers without clicking through, weakening the value of organic search traffic. That is a warning sign for publishers and marketers, but also an opening for local media sellers and agencies to reposition radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor, and digital as channels that build top-of-mind awareness, trust, and demand before a search ever happens. In a world where discoverability is increasingly controlled by answer engines, advertisers may place greater value on media that makes brands known, remembered, and hard to ignore.

A new study suggests that AI disclaimers on political ads may reduce trust in the message even when the ad itself contains little or no AI-generated content. For local media sellers and agency professionals, that creates a new planning issue: AI may improve speed and efficiency, but required disclosures could weaken credibility and audience receptivity. The takeaway for radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital professionals is that AI use in campaign creative should be evaluated not just for compliance and cost savings, but for its effect on persuasion and trust.

Local media sales has become harder not because advertising demand has disappeared, but because the makeup of local advertisers has changed, with more service businesses, newer companies, and digitally fluent marketers reshaping how budgets are allocated. Many local advertisers now over-rely on lower-funnel tactics like search, social and targeted digital, creating an opening for radio, TV, outdoor, print and premium digital sellers to show how brand-building media improves total campaign performance. The media companies most likely to win going forward will be the ones that stop selling like it is 2014 and instead act as trusted advisors who understand changing market composition, bring proof, and connect multiple media channels to real business outcomes.

Axios Local’s expansion into smaller markets shows how local media can use AI to reduce production costs without giving up the human reporting and community connection that advertisers value. For radio, TV, cable, print and digital sellers, the lesson is that efficient operations matter only when they strengthen a trusted, relevant local product. The stronger sales story is no longer just about audience size, but about direct relationships, first-party data, community credibility and a media environment advertisers can buy with confidence.

The public dispute between The Trade Desk and Publicis is more than an ad-tech story; it is a reminder that trust, transparency and alignment are what hold business relationships together. For local media sellers in radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital, the lesson is that transactional selling makes accounts easier to lose, while clear explanation, honest expectations and stronger partnership make them harder to replace. As advertising grows more automated and more complex, the local sellers who win will be the ones who make trust part of the product they sell.

America’s mall sector is no longer one story but two: a small group of high-end, experience-driven centers is thriving, while many lower-tier malls continue to struggle. For local media sellers and ad agencies, that means retail should be approached more selectively, with stronger malls and lifestyle centers pitched as destination brands that need image-building, traffic-driving and event-focused campaigns across radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital. The bigger lesson is that winning retail properties are succeeding through curation, experience and audience focus—exactly the kind of strategy local media companies should mirror in the way they package and sell advertising.