Most leaders think they know what media buying is. They don’t. Too often, it’s treated as an administrative line item: booking ad slots, negotiating rates, pressing “go” on programmatic platforms. In reality, media buying is where brand ambition meets financial reality. Get it right, and you don’t just buy impressions. You buy growth. Get it wrong, and you’re burning budget into the void.
This article kicks off our three-part series on media buying. Here we’ll explore what it really is, why it matters, and how the UK landscape is changing. In Part 2, we’ll look at where media buying is heading. And in Part 3, we’ll tackle the question every boardroom is asking: how do you maximise ROI?
Redefining Media Buying
At its simplest, media buying is the process of purchasing advertising space and time across channels: digital, TV, radio, out-of-home, and print. But that definition undersells it. Media buying is the discipline that ensures your brand message reaches the right people, in the right place, at the right time, at the right cost.
It is not the same as media planning.
Planning defines the strategy: the target audience, channels, and timing. Buying executes that strategy: negotiating rates, booking inventory, managing campaigns, and optimising performance. The difference matters. Without rigorous buying, even the best media plan becomes academic.
Who Needs Media Buying Services
Media buying isn’t exclusive to Fortune 500 companies or global brands. Any organisation that invests in paid advertising, whether that’s a local retailer running Google Ads or a national charity investing in TV, benefits from disciplined buying. The question isn’t whether you need it, but whether you’re doing it well.
For SMEs in particular, the stakes are high. A poorly executed campaign doesn’t just dent a large budget; it can sink it. It can drain an entire year’s marketing resources. That’s why understanding the fundamentals matters, regardless of scale.
The UK Media Landscape in 2026
A Market That Keeps Growing
Despite economic turbulence, UK advertising remains buoyant. Total ad spend reached £42.6bn in 2024, up 10.4% year-on-year. AA/WARC forecasts predict the market grew by 6.3% to reach £45.2bn in 2025, with further growth to £47.8bn in 2026. Growth continues to be driven almost entirely by digital, with £4 in every £5 of ad budgets now spent online.
Digital Dominance, But Not Simplicity
The UK’s digital ad market surpassed £35.5bn in 2024, growing 13% year-on-year according to IAB UK’s Digital Adspend report. Online video grew fastest at 20%, whilst retail media surged 23% to £1.4bn. Search maintained its market dominance, accounting for 47% of all digital ad spend at £16.6bn.
On paper, this suggests a clear shift: “digital is where the money is.” But in practice, it complicates the buying process. Each channel (search, display, video, retail, social, programmatic DOOH) has its own buying mechanisms, metrics, and pitfalls. For example, Tesco’s Media and Insight Platform now enables buyers to purchase audiences based on verified shopping behaviour derived from its Clubcard data, reaching approximately 80% of UK households. That means buyers aren’t just choosing placements; they’re deciding whether to invest in data-led intent rather than pure reach.
Television’s Reinvention
Linear TV reach has been shrinking, particularly among younger audiences. Ofcom’s Media Nations 2024 report showed that for the first time, less than half of 16-24 year-olds (48%) watched broadcast TV in an average week, a sharp decline from 76% in 2018. But that doesn’t mean TV is finished.
Broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) and connected TV (CTV) are thriving. ITV’s pivot to ITVX demonstrates this clearly: in 2024, digital viewing was up 12% and digital advertising revenue grew 15%, with digital advertising now accounting for 26% of ITV’s total advertising revenue. For buyers, the challenge is no longer “do we buy TV?” but “what kind of TV delivers the reach we need?”
The Rise of Retail Media
Retail media has emerged as one of the UK’s fastest-growing advertising channels. According to IAB UK, advertisers’ investment in on and off-site retail media surpassed £1bn in 2025 (excluding Amazon), with spend on track to break through the £7bn mark by 2028 when Amazon is included.
What makes retail media compelling is its closed-loop measurement. Unlike traditional display or social advertising, retail media connects directly to point-of-sale data. Tesco, for instance, has scaled its in-store digital screens from around 500 to over 6,000, enabling buyers to integrate online and offline activations with measurable sales outcomes.
Out-of-Home’s Digital Renaissance
Out-of-home (OOH) remains one of the few channels that people can’t skip, block, or scroll past. But it’s evolving fast. In Q2 2024, UK OOH revenue grew 17% year-on-year, with digital OOH recording a 21% increase and now accounting for 66% of total OOH revenue.
Programmatic DOOH is growing rapidly, with UK advertisers planning to increase spend by almost a third, according to VIOOH research. For brands like Boots, this shift has been transformative, with always-on programmatic campaigns that trigger based on time, weather, or location. What was once a static medium is now dynamic and ROI-driven.
Why Media Buying Matters More Than Ever
Fragmented Audiences
The old model of buying a prime-time TV slot and knowing you’ll reach a mass audience is gone. IPA TouchPoints 2025 data reveals that British adults now spend an average of 3 hours and 21 minutes per day on their mobile phones, overtaking TV set viewing (3 hours 16 minutes) for the first time. Among 15-24 year-olds, the gap is stark: nearly 5 hours daily on phones compared to under 2 hours watching TV. Without sophisticated media buying, brands risk talking into the void.
Rising Accountability
CFOs are no longer content with “brand lift” slides. Every pound of adspend is under scrutiny. Media buying is where accountability is enforced: ensuring ads are viewable, fraud is minimised, and campaigns are measured against hard outcomes. Tesco’s retail media platform exemplifies this shift. It doesn’t just offer impressions; it provides closed-loop reporting on whether a campaign drove actual sales at the till.
Brand Safety and Trust
Programmatic buying enabled massive scale but also introduced risks. ISBA research revealed that in 2020, 15% of UK programmatic spend was deemed “unattributable.” By 2023, industry initiatives cut that to around 3%. That progress matters, but it also highlights how central buying decisions are to protecting budgets and brand reputation.
Busting the Biggest Myth
“Media buying is only for big brands”
It’s tempting to think media buying is the preserve of multinationals with vast budgets. The reality is the opposite. SMEs need disciplined buying practices even more, as inefficiency disproportionately harms them.
Retail media platforms allow small brands to reach precisely the right shoppers. Programmatic DOOH enables localised, hyper-targeted campaigns with relatively low minimums. BVOD lets SMEs advertise alongside prime programming without paying prime-time linear rates. For smaller organisations, the discipline of buying well is the difference between wasted budget and measurable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is media buying still relevant in 2026?
Absolutely. UK adspend continues to grow. What’s changing is how media is bought: more automated, more data-driven, more accountable. The fundamentals of reaching the right audience at the right cost remain as important as ever.
What’s the difference between media planning and media buying?
Planning is strategy: defining audiences, channels, and timing. Buying is execution: negotiating rates, booking inventory, and optimising campaigns. Both are vital, but buying is where strategy becomes real.
Do SMEs really need media buying expertise?
Yes. They can’t afford to waste marketing spend. The tools may be different, but the discipline is just as critical, arguably more so given tighter budgets.
How much does media buying cost?
Costs vary enormously depending on channels, scale, and whether you work with an agency or handle it in-house. What matters more than absolute cost is return on investment. A pound spent well generates growth, whilst a pound spent poorly generates nothing.
What’s the most important media buying trend for 2026?
The convergence of data and accountability. Channels that can prove ROI, such as retail media, programmatic DOOH, and BVOD, are gaining momentum precisely because they offer measurement that finance teams trust.
Buying Growth, Not Just Impressions
Media buying is not admin. It is the mechanism through which advertising spend turns into business impact. It’s about discipline, accountability, and foresight. Brands that treat it as an afterthought are effectively outsourcing growth to luck.
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll explore The Future of Media Buying in the UK, covering AI-driven optimisation, retail media, and the evolving privacy landscape. In Part 3, we’ll get practical: How to Maximise ROI from Media Buying.
Ready to Transform Your Media Buying Strategy?
If you’re looking to ensure your advertising investment delivers measurable growth rather than wasted spend, it may be time to bring in strategic marketing leadership. As a Fractional CMO, I help businesses develop and execute media strategies that turn budget into business results. Let’s discuss how to make your marketing investment work harder.
