What’s Working in Audience Today: Key Takeaways from Omeda's State of Audience 2026 Report

What’s actually working in audience growth, engagement, and monetization right now? And where are teams still struggling?

Omeda surveyed media and publishing professionals to understand what is driving progress, where teams are getting stuck, and what leaders should pay attention to next.

Omeda’s State of Audience in Media Report 2026 report breaks it down with benchmarks and insights from across the media and marketing landscape—giving you a clearer picture of where to focus next.

What you’ll learn:

• Where audience growth is accelerating—and where it’s stalling

• How engagement metrics are shifting (and what “good” looks like now)

• The biggest gaps between data collection and activation

• How teams are using AI and automation to scale smarter

• Benchmarks you can use to evaluate your own performance

If you’re trying to connect audience data to real business outcomes, this report offers a practical snapshot of what’s working—and what needs attention.

A few signals from this year’s report

67% say email and newsletters were a top audience growth driver

68% say newsletters or digest products are their most effective retention tactic

55% fell short of ad revenue goals

63% met or exceeded event revenue goals

26% say AI-driven disruption is the biggest external threat to audience strategy

Only 9% say their organization uses audience data extremely effectively to inform action

👉 Explore the full report and benchmarks