Australian ad market returns to growth in June

Australia’s advertising market returned to growth in June, with media agency bookings rising 0.3 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to Guideline SMI.

READ MORE: Internet ad spend rises 9.7% to reach $15.6 billion: IAB

READ MORE: Opportunity or threat? Indie agencies can't decide what AI is

The result is expected to improve as late digital bookings are added. May’s reported growth has already been revised to 5.1 per cent following the inclusion of additional digital data.

Guideline SMI tracks advertising booked through participating media agencies. Its figures do not include advertising booked directly with platforms or through agencies that do not contribute data.

What drove ad spend growth in June?

Government advertising recorded the strongest category increase in June, rising 50.1 per cent year-on-year. Food, produce and dairy was up 17.6 per cent, while wealth management increased 12 per cent.

Restaurant advertising rose 11.7 per cent and automotive brand spending increased 6.6 per cent. Radio also recorded a positive month, with bookings up 5.2 per cent.

Retail online was the strongest-performing digital format, rising 44.1 per cent. Streaming video increased 26.4 per cent during June, supported by advertising linked to the FIFA World Cup.

First-half growth follows weaker financial year

Total advertising bookings for the six months to June were 0.4 per cent higher than the same period in 2025. Digital, outdoor, cinema and newspapers each recorded growth across the calendar-year period.

However, the market finished the full financial year 2 per cent below the previous year. The comparison was affected by elevated government and political advertising around the 2025 federal election.

Sean Wright, chief insights and analytics officer at Guideline SMI, said advertising demand had strengthened during the second half of the financial year.

“While the financial year is tracking 2 per cent below the previous year overall, the stronger January-to-June performance demonstrates that advertiser confidence has improved, with the final June result likely to reflect this once all digital bookings have been reported,” Wright said.

Outdoor and streaming deliver annual gains

Outdoor advertising grew 3.8 per cent across the financial year, with programmatic outdoor bookings rising 36.8 per cent. Standalone digital advertising increased 2.4 per cent.

Streaming video rose 14.2 per cent over the financial year. Insurance recorded the strongest annual growth among major advertiser categories, increasing 14.5 per cent.

The June result marks a second consecutive month of year-on-year growth following May’s revision. Guideline SMI expects the market’s final June position to strengthen as remaining digital bookings are processed.