IAB Finland’s State and Trends of Programmatic Buying 2025 report, published on November 12, 2025, reveals that although programmatic ad investments in Finland have declined in recent years, confidence in the future remains strong. Industry professionals expect growth to return, driven by AI, attention metrics, and emerging channels.
The Market Seeks New Growth
Programmatic advertising volumes have reflected the general downturn of the ad market. Yet, the majority of respondents say that the importance of programmatic buying in their organizations has remained stable or even increased. Among agencies, 38% report that the role of programmatic has grown, and in many companies, it already represents the majority of digital advertising spend.
The biggest gap between demand and supply lies in emerging channels such as digital out-of-home (DOOH), connected TV (CTV), and audio—areas that attract interest but still have limited programmatic inventory.
“Turning the market back to growth requires close cooperation between publishers, buyers, and advertisers—and the courage to reinvent existing models. In Finland, we need a shared commitment to fully harness the potential of programmatic.”
— Maarit Toivonen, Alma Media
Benefits Are Clear, but the Talent Shortage Slows Progress
According to the study, the core benefits of programmatic buying remain consistent year over year. For buyers, the top three are diverse data and targeting capabilities, optimization and algorithmic tools, and overall control and efficiency.
At the same time, the lack of skilled professionals continues to be the single greatest challenge, for the third consecutive year. Advertisers also highlight the need for stronger impact measurement, the complexity of regulation, and privacy-related limitations.
On the publisher side, key concerns include pricing transparency, value chain clarity, and the need to strengthen sales organizations’ programmatic expertise.
AI and Attention Emerge as New Growth Drivers
The most distinct trends for 2025 are the rise of AI, emerging channels, attention measurement, and high-impact formats.
AI is increasingly used in reporting, analytics, and problem-solving, and its role is expected to expand in campaign planning and optimization as well.
The growing interest in attention measurement signals a shift: marketers want to understand the true impact of advertising, rather than just impressions. Supporting this trend, high-impact formats are rapidly gaining popularity in the market.
Structural Barriers and Skills Gaps Hold Back Growth
Respondents also recognize structural barriers that slow progress: tradition, the small market size, the dominance of local media houses, and the ease of direct buying. Programmatic is still often viewed as complex and technical, and the skills gap remains a bottleneck.
“In Finland, we often stick to the mindset of ‘this is how we’ve always done it,’ and there’s not always the courage to try something new. Retaining skilled professionals and elevating programmatic to the management agenda are critical for the future.”
— Quote from open-ended survey responses
Toward an AI-Assisted and Transparent Future
Over the coming year, industry players hope to see broader use of AI, wider adoption of attention metrics, and the integration of retail media players into the programmatic ecosystem.
On the publisher side, there is also a growing emphasis on strengthening the value of domestic journalistic content and developing cookie-free, user-friendly solutions.
Read and download the full report (in Finnish) on IAB Finland’s website: State and Trends of Programmatic Buying 2025
