The digital advertising landscape is continuously evolving, requiring industry events to adapt to new buying patterns and the rise of influential new channels. In response, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced significant strategic changes to its 2026 calendar of marketplace events. These updates are designed to better serve the always-on digital media marketplace by aligning with annual planning cycles and creating more efficient opportunities for buyers and sellers to connect across key growth areas.
IAB NewFronts is moving to March 23-26, 2026, to better align with annual advertising buying cycles.
The IAB is launching IAB CreatorFronts, the first dedicated marketplace for the creator economy.
CreatorFronts, Podcast Upfront, and PlayFronts will be consolidated into a single week in September 2026.
This consolidation simplifies planning for buyers across creator, podcast, and gaming ecosystems.
The changes are a direct response to market feedback on the always-on nature of digital investment.
The goal is to provide a first-mover advantage for buyers and amplify the influence of key digital channels.
A major change involves the timing of the flagship IAB NewFronts, the world's largest digital video content marketplace. The event is moving from its traditional spring slot to March 23-26, 2026. This strategic shift is intended to give brands and agencies earlier access to premium streaming and digital video inventory, aligning with the start of their annual planning and investment cycles and providing a first-mover advantage in a competitive landscape.
"The decision to move IAB NewFronts earlier is a direct response to market feedback and evolution," said David Cohen, CEO of IAB. "The combination of upfronts operating on both a broadcast and calendar cycle, coupled with the always-on nature of digital investments, meant that we needed to develop marketplaces in both the Spring and the Fall. IAB NewFronts moving to March gives buyers a first-mover advantage in accessing premium inventory across streaming and digital platforms."
Complementing the NewFronts shift, the IAB is launching a new event and consolidating existing ones to create a more efficient marketplace. The newly introduced IAB CreatorFronts will be the industry's first dedicated marketplace for the creator economy. It will anchor a unified week in September 2026, which will also include the IAB Podcast Upfront and IAB PlayFronts (focused on gaming). This consolidation acknowledges that these channels are now central to brand strategy and simplifies the planning process for buyers.
"Bringing IAB PlayFronts, IAB Podcast Upfront, and IAB CreatorFronts together into one cohesive marketplace is about giving buyers what they've asked for - an easier, more efficient way to plan across the ecosystems that are redefining brand strategy," said Carryl Pierre-Drews, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer at IAB. "These aren't niche channels anymore; creator-led, podcast, and gaming environments are where culture lives and attention flows. Grouping them in one moment not only simplifies the process for buyers, but amplifies their collective influence."
These strategic updates reinforce the IAB's role as a central hub for the digital advertising ecosystem. By adapting its event calendar, the IAB continues to foster innovation, drive measurable standards for cross-platform investment, and shape the commercial outcomes for its members. The new structure for 2026 is designed to ensure that its marketplace events remain actionable and essential for navigating the future of digital media buying.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and collaboration of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers.
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