The prevailing narrative in automotive advertising is that digital won and broadcast lost. In practice, the story is more nuanced.
In the latest podcast episode of Leading Local Insights, I had the chance to discuss the future of automotive advertising and where the market is heading with Cox Media Group Executive Chairman Steve Pruett, joined by Michael Boland of Localogy, who guest-hosted the conversation.
Our discussion builds on our U.S. Advertising Forecast for the automotive category. At the time of our conversation, we projected $10.7B in local automotive advertising in 2026, with roughly two-thirds of that spending flowing to digital channels. Broadcast continues to play a critical role when advertisers need scale, credibility, and top-of-funnel momentum. Since then, the category has shown further strength, and we anticipate a modest increase in overall auto ad spend in our next forecast.
Drawing on his decades of leadership across major markets, Steve definitely brings a broadcaster’s perspective to automotive advertising today. As he explains, dealers have become highly sophisticated in mid- and lower-funnel tactics, but when foot traffic slows and website traffic softens, many return to broadcast to refill the funnel.
The episode also looks at how the automotive market works from Tier 1 OEMs to Tier 2 dealer associations and Tier 3 local dealers—and how those relationships shape media planning and co-op funding. As digital and CTV expand, the takeaway is simple: the strongest results come from combining channels, not replacing them.
For broadcasters and media strategists working with automotive advertisers, this is an important moment to rethink how channels work together in the media mix.
Click to listen to the full episode of Automotive Advertising in 2026: The Evolving Role of Broadcast and CTV.
