Programmatic advertising continues its strong global growth, even as the development of the open internet has slowed. New channels, an emphasis on quality, and the intelligent use of data are creating significant opportunities for the Finnish market as well.
Global growth of programmatic advertising continues, driven by closed ecosystems
Programmatic advertising is still growing globally. According to eMarketer, as much as 92% of display advertising investments in the United States flow through programmatic channels. However, this figure also includes closed ecosystems such as social media platforms. When focusing only on the open internet, growth has slowed or even plateaued. Closed environments are capturing most of the growth, reshaping the dynamics of the market.
Could attention become a growth driver in Finland?
Although growth in the open internet is currently moderate, CTV (Connected TV) and DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) are seeing strong global momentum, along with audio and retail media, which are gaining importance in programmatic buying (WARC: Future of Programmatic 2025).
Global trends are influencing the Finnish programmatic market as well, but local growth data shows that Finland has several characteristics that differ from global developments.
In Alma Media’s “Näin Suomi Bidaa” research, attention emerged as the key theme for 2025, and we believe it can help accelerate display advertising growth in Finland. A focus on quality and attention measurement could become a decisive factor for programmatic growth.
AI and the cookieless open internet are driving the rise of closed ecosystems
A large part of the open internet is already invisible to adtech, which has made advertisers heavily dependent on data provided by major platforms. This is not without issues, as control over advertising is increasingly shifting to AI-based platforms, making it harder for brands to track the context in which their ads appear.
Curated marketplaces are among the major global trends, and their importance is also growing in Finland. Advertisers see benefits such as better ROI and higher match rates, although the implementation method determines whether curation delivers clear advantages.
At the Stockholm Programmatic Summit, curation was also highlighted as a strong trend, with predictions that curated marketplaces will continue to grow as a buying method in 2026. A newer perspective discussed was the increasing role of publishers in offering marketplace inventory—particularly in managing bid requests and providing diverse targeting options.
At the Programmatic Pioneers Summit in London, Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of WPP, identified the next megatrends in programmatic advertising as being highly AI-driven, further strengthening the dominance of major platforms. He predicted that campaign planning and separate buy- and sell-side systems will soon become obsolete. In their place, new “algorithmic planner” roles will emerge—focused on providing advertisers with insight into how AI can be leveraged from a brand perspective.
What does all this mean for advertisers right now?
- Focus on quality and attention: Attention and inventory quality are key competitive factors.
- Embrace the open internet and cookieless future: Build and leverage first-party data, and make contextual targeting part of your strategy.
- Diversify and manage risk: Don’t rely too heavily on large platforms—distribute budgets across multiple channels and environments.
