2026 CTV Predictions With JamLoop: Part Two

In part two of our 2026 predictions series, we ask key players at JamLoop more questions about their thoughts, hopes, and what awaits us this year.

Q: Are Advertisers Ready For the Agentic AI Era of the Industry? Why?

Jeff Fagel, Chief Marketing Officer: Most advertisers aren’t ready—not because of the tech, but because they’re still operating with legacy processes built for manual workflows. Agentic AI doesn’t just automate tasks; it forces a rethink of planning, budgeting, and measurement. The companies that win will be the ones that treat AI as an operating system, not a feature.

Bubba Burns, Sr. Director of Sales: The majority of advertisers/businesses are not ready for the AI era. I believe most will adopt the easiest use cases and be slow to fully embrace

Luke Ryan, Director of CTV & AI Strategies: Not really; more nimble organizations will adapt quickly, but legacy and larger firms will struggle with the pace of innovation. 

Daniel Patton, VP of Business Operations: Not even close. Most buyers are scared about privacy and brand safety when AI is involved. People are comfortable using AI to optimize bids or tweak creative, but actually letting it make big decisions autonomously? That’s a different story. The tools are ready before the people are.

Q: What’s Next For DSP Consolidation in 2026? Has The Sector Fully Matured and Can Handle AI Disruption?

Bubba Burns: I’m not sure; I would assume that with agents being able to execute the buying and selling quickly and efficiently, we will all need to learn to sell to agents while also doubling down on our real-world human relationships. 

Daniel Patton: We’ll probably see some mergers that blend DSPs and SSPs into unified platforms. The player count is settling, but the technology is getting completely rebuilt around AI. The ones that survive will be the ones that avoid fighting AI and build it in everywhere

Daniel Gulick, Head of Product: I’m bearish on any major consolidations. Instead, I think the lines will just continue to blur: SSPs will start operating like DSPs, DSPs will start to operate like agencies, and agencies will try to operate like DSPs (via whitelabels).

Nick Simonetti, VP of Sales: Are the SSPs creating their own DSPs and DSPs creating their own SSPs still a thing?  If so, then there could be some pretty big mergers/acquisitions between the two.  DSPs that work with programmatic teams [that aren’t big names] are going to have to differentiate themselves in a bigger way or face becoming obsolete.

Q: What Are Your Expectations For Streaming TV Advertising in 2026?

Nick Simonetti: Budgets will continue to grow. Larger streamers, such as Netflix and Amazon, will take a larger share of the upfronts with their sports inventory, prompting linear networks to reassess their strategy. They’ve created their own “suite” of streaming inventory across their platforms (think Disney with D+, ESPN, Hulu, ABC live, etc.) but will they continue to acquire smaller streamers to grow their footprint and keep more of the budget in-house?  

Jeff Fagel: Streamers will finally stop pretending they’re TV networks with prettier apps. They’ll embrace the messy reality that they’re digital ad platforms with shows attached. Marketers will demand more control, and streamers will need to deliver it. Expect  improvements in transparency, more performance pressure, and clearer reporting (finally).

Luke Ryan: We all live in our own bubbles based on our content and algorithms. The same will be the case for news stories or tech adoption. We will need to hyper-personalize our ad messaging, which streaming can do with AI creative. 

Daniel Gulick: I think we’ll see more brands tolerate higher CPMs as the dirty little secret of “your DSP is built on a DSP that’s built on another DSP” will become more widely known. Your $5 CPM on ESPN is not what you think it is.