Borrell Associates expects digital advertising to account for nearly 80% of local ad spending by 2030. The projection signals a significant shift in how businesses will reach consumers.
What We Know: Digital advertising accounted for 71% of all local advertising expenditures in 2025. However, Borrell Associates projects that figure will climb considerably over the next four years as the industry undergoes what it describes as a “great reshuffling.” The company also significantly increased its growth expectations for local digital advertising. For 2026, Borrell now projects 8.6% growth, nearly double its previous forecast of 4.5%. Additionally, its 2027 projection increased from 4.3% to 6.7%.
What They Said: “We knew digital advertising was growing rapidly, but our research uncovered a much bigger shift than our earlier forecasts suggested. Though traditional media companies will rake in more than $18 billion in digital ad revenue this year, it represents a fairly small share – 16% of the total digital pie. The pie is now growing faster, so their challenge will be to maintain market share by keeping up with the digital growth.” -Borrell Associates Senior Vice President of Local Marketing Intelligence Corey Elliott
What Remains Unclear: Borrell’s projections illustrate the direction of local advertising, but the company hasn’t detailed how individual traditional media sectors will fare as digital spending continues to grow. Radio, television, newspapers, and other legacy platforms will face different challenges in maintaining their respective shares.
What It Means: Traditional media companies face increasing pressure to expand their digital advertising businesses. Although those companies are projected to generate more than $18 billion in digital ad revenue in 2026, that’s only 16% of the overall market. Consequently, broadcasters and publishers must find ways to capture more of the expanding digital advertising pie rather than rely solely on traditional revenue streams.
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