Publisher and media owner vitality, privacy and data education and responsibility, and the launch of a future of measurement project will form the backbone of IAB Australia’s activities through 2026. The three workstreams, which are outlined in IAB Australia’s Annual Report released today, will run alongside existing initiatives developed by the association to support the digital advertising industry.
The announcement follows a strong year for IAB in Australia. Membership continued to broaden, with 36 new members, including more organisations across retail media, DOOH, affiliate and video advertising, while agencies and brands are increasingly seeking its expertise with deeper ad-tech participation in measurement, effectiveness, and data & privacy.
The association prepared 38 research studies and white papers, hosted 15 events, authored 10 government submissions and supported 100 emerging leaders through mentorship this year. Additionally, IAB Australia and its member driven Councils and Working Groups ensured global ad specs and standards were adopted locally and continued to govern Australia’s digital audience ratings service.
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia said “The IAB’s role has never been more important as we work to balance global momentum with local realities and help the industry navigate the constant changes from AI and privacy reform to the evolution of retail media and CTV. Our focus will remain practical: strong standards, trusted measurement and capability-building to keep the Australian market confident, competitive and future-ready.”
Suzie Cardwell, IAB Australia Chair and Chief Data Product & Technology Officer - Enterprise at Nine commented “In 2026, as IAB Australia marks its 21st year we will sharpen our focus on supporting publishers and media owners while exploring the future of measurement in an AI-enabled marketplace. Setting direction and frameworks for privacy and related reforms will remain front and centre and we’ll be continuing to invest in the education, events, and mentorship that sustain our community.”
The Future of Measurement workstream will include a comprehensive review of evolving advertising planning/buying practices, datasets and measurement approaches in the Australian market to identify industry needs, gaps and future requirements. This will inform a 2027 strategy on how to develop the industry-driven measurement infrastructure needed by Australian media owners, platforms, ad agencies and advertisers to confidently and robustly evaluate digital advertising opportunities in a complex, cross-media, privacy-first landscape.
The second priority workstream for 2026 will focus on supporting the vitality of publishers and media-owners to ensure publishers, broadcasters, content environments and innovation remain sustainable in the next era and thrive in a global ecosystem. This will include further work on technology standards, as well as providing yield optimisation guidance, education, commercial analysis, audience measurement, AI impact insights and policy support.
Further work will also be commenced in the privacy and data sector, particularly around advancing education and responsibility both with industry, as well as government and regulators. A strong focus will be placed on ensuring a responsible data driven digital advertising industry, including developing frameworks that enable compliant, safe and operationally efficient practices as tranche-two of privacy reforms approaches.
Key FY25 Milestones
Following a comprehensive independent audit in early 2025, the IAB Australia endorsed Ipsos iris was confirmed as well-managed and fit for purpose—supporting the renewal of IAB’s endorsement through to the end of 2027. It continues to set the standard as the trusted, independent, and robust source of digital audience measurement in Australia and now features deeper video reporting, greater granularity, and engagement harmonisation for more confident planning and trading.
More than 500 e-learning modules were completed during FY25, taking the total number of e-learning modules undertaken in the last five years to 3,800. The two most popular courses in FY25 were the Foundations of Programmatic DOOH Advertising and Advertising Effectiveness Fundamentals.
Another 100 people with less than ten years industry experience participated in IAB Australia’s prestigious mentoring program. The program has supported over 500 people since its inception and is one of the IAB’s most popular and important initiatives supporting emerging talent in the industry.
Agency and brands attendance at events increased in FY25 as advertisers increasingly dedicated time to understanding data usage, ad effectiveness measurement, best practice and new opportunities to refine and optimise their media investment.
Ad Net Zero was launched in Australia supported by IAB Australia, MFA, AANA and the ACA, laying the groundwork for consistent carbon tracking.
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About the Interactive Advertising Bureau
IAB an independent industry association with nearly 9,000 members globally spanning media owners, publishers, technology companies, agencies, and advertisers. It works to align industry stakeholders to develop solutions for the issues faced by the market and develop standards that are integral to the operation of digital advertising.
As one of 45 IAB offices globally, the role of the IAB is to support sustainable and diverse investment in digital advertising across all platforms in Australia as well as demonstrating to marketers and agencies the many ways digital advertising can deliver on business objectives.