Three Key Takeaways from IAB ALM 2026 for Streaming Advertising: FAST, Performance, and AI
It’s only early February but the industry has hit the ground running in 2026. From CES kicking off the year in early January to the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting this week, the pace of innovation has been nothing short of breakneck. Conversations across stages and side rooms made it clear that streaming advertising and technology are evolving in real time, at speed.
Author: Thomas Iacopelli, Director, Revenue Partnerships
Unsurprisingly, AI was a defining topic throughout the week, particularly as it reshapes how streaming advertising is bought, optimized, and measured. Against that backdrop, several themes consistently emerged, pointing to where the industry is headed next. Below are three notable takeaways from the week that signal how streaming advertising is entering its next phase.
1. FAST Has Evolved into a Premium, Performance‑Driven Environment
FAST is no longer perceived as a secondary or “free” option – it has become a premium viewing experience with rapidly growing, highly engaged audiences. Xumo Play reported a record year for 2025, with total hours watched seeing 64% year-over-year growth, while time spent per user grew 22%. Demonstrating that not only are more viewers turning to FAST, but content is keeping them more engaged.
This shift is redefining FAST as both a branding and performance channel, delivering a lean-back experience like traditional TV, with the addressability and outcome-focused capabilities of digital.
At Xumo, our partnerships with players like Google TV and Xfinity offer advertisers even more ways to position FAST at the center of media plans, not as an add‑on. By bringing together the inventory and technology, advertisers can obtain a more transparent view of what they’re buying, giving them the confidence and access to buy premium FAST inventory to expand audience reach and drive performance.
2. The Industry Is Moving Past Legacy Metrics Toward Real Business Outcomes
A recurring theme across panels was the need to stop evaluating streaming through outdated comparisons to traditional TV or other digital formats. That approach has created unnecessary confusion and undervalued what streaming uniquely delivers.
What matters now, and going forward, are outcomes: conversion, purchase behavior, ROI, and true incremental impact. Advertisers are finding success with incrementality, additive reach, and creative‑level cross‑channel measurement, which better reflects how streaming drives lower‑funnel performance. This shift is also opening the door for SMBs, who can now run highly targeted television campaigns with measurable results previously out of reach.
For advertisers, working with entertainment platforms like Xumo not only enables them to reach audiences within premium streaming content, but also gives them tools to more easily prove out campaign performance. Strategic partnerships around access and identity are helping to streamline ways to unlock data and interoperability to meet buyer needs, which is becoming more crucial as the industry moves to an outcomes-first mindset.
3. AI and Agentic Automation Will Amplify — Not Replace — Human Strategy
AI emerged as a force multiplier for streaming advertising, improving speed, precision, and efficiency across audience identification, trend detection, creative execution, and optimization. As cognition becomes more abundant and inexpensive, competitive advantage shifts toward uniquely human strengths: strategy, creativity, and emotional resonance.
The next evolution into agentic AI could further transform digital ad buys, enabling autonomous systems to negotiate and execute complex campaigns at unprecedented speed. However, strategy remains foundational. In an agent‑to‑agent ecosystem, success will depend on clearly defined brand objectives, interoperable systems, and a continued focus on privacy, transparency, and trust.
The important thing is that platforms are leveraging this technology to better the viewer experience, whether it be from the content discovery perspective or by enabling tools that improve ad relevance.
What This Means for Streaming and Xumo
The conversations at IAB ALM 2026 made one thing clear: streaming advertising has entered its outcome-driven era.
FAST is premium. Measurement is maturing. AI is amplifying human capability, not replacing it. And streaming is opening doors for brands of every size to reach audiences in powerful, measurable ways.
At Xumo, these themes aren’t theoretical — they reflect where we’re already investing and innovating. As the industry continues to evolve, the opportunity lies in embracing change while staying grounded in what matters most: meaningful experiences, trusted ecosystems, and measurable impact for advertisers and viewers alike.