The digital ad spend market in Latin America is expected to grow by 10.8% annually, reaching US$50.1 billion by 2026.
The digital ad spend market in the region has experienced robust growth during 2020-2025, achieving a CAGR of 9.4%. This upward trajectory is expected to continue, with the market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2026 to 2029. By the end of 2029, the digital ad spend market is projected to expand from its 2025 value of US$45.3 billion to approximately US$70.9 billion.
Over the forecast period, competitive advantage will hinge on operational adaptability across regulatory frameworks, creative localisation, and omnichannel execution. Advertisers and agencies that deepen integration with regional partners and invest in compliance-ready infrastructure will be best positioned to navigate Latin America’s evolving landscape.
The report offers in-depth segmentation across the ad spend market, covering spend distribution by channel (television, print, radio, outdoor, and digital) and detailed breakdowns within digital ad spend, including search, ecommerce, news and media, social platforms, gaming environments, and other digital destinations. It further categorizes digital ad spend by formats such as video, display, influencer marketing, email, and audio, alongside device platforms and pricing models. Additional analysis captures industry-level allocation patterns and the structure of the digital ad spend market across walled gardens and the open web, as well as distinctions between programmatic and direct media buying. Collectively, these datasets provide a comprehensive and quantifiable view of market size, spend behavior, and the structural dynamics shaping digital ad spend.
The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to deliver a detailed view of market performance, structural trends, and growth dynamics across the ad spend market, with a primary focus on digital ad spend market.
The digital ad spend market in the region has experienced robust growth during 2020-2025, achieving a CAGR of 9.4%. This upward trajectory is expected to continue, with the market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2026 to 2029. By the end of 2029, the digital ad spend market is projected to expand from its 2025 value of US$45.3 billion to approximately US$70.9 billion.
Key Trends and Drivers in Digital Ad Spend
Latin America’s digital advertising landscape is undergoing structural transformation as shifting consumer behaviour, platform expansion, and changes across e-commerce and media redefine advertiser priorities. With more users moving to digital channels and regulatory scrutiny intensifying, brands are adapting strategies to address region-specific dynamics in social commerce, video, and retail media. The market is becoming increasingly integrated, with retail media, social commerce, and video functioning as interconnected components of a broader performance ecosystem. As regulatory developments and platform shifts continue to reshape planning and execution models, advertisers that localise content, adopt privacy-aligned infrastructure, and align with emerging commerce-driven environments will be best positioned to sustain competitiveness.Social Commerce is Blurring the Line Between Engagement and Conversion
- Social media platforms are being used not only for brand awareness but also for direct commerce. In Latin America, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are increasingly integrated with shopping features. For instance, TikTok Shop has begun testing embedded checkout options in Brazil, allowing users to purchase within the app environment.
- The rapid expansion of mobile-first e-commerce, combined with the influence of regional creators, is accelerating the fusion of social content and shopping. In markets such as Mexico and Colombia, Gen Z and millennial consumers are driving this shift, favoring short-form video and influencer-led product discovery. Informal selling via WhatsApp Business and Facebook Marketplace also reflects the role of social networks in commerce flows.
- As payment and logistics integrations mature, social platforms will become fully-fledged performance marketing environments. Advertisers will increasingly shift budgets to creator-driven formats that combine entertainment and conversion. However, disparities in platform maturity across countries may result in uneven adoption rates.
Retail Media Networks are Gaining Ground in Performance Budgets
- Retailers across Latin America are launching or scaling digital ad networks to monetize their traffic and data. Mercado Libre Ads is leading this space, offering advertisers sponsored listings, display placements, and audience targeting across its e-commerce and fintech ecosystem. Brazilian retailers like Magazine Luiza and Americanas are also expanding their in-house advertising capabilities.
- With the deprecation of third-party cookies and rising demand for measurable outcomes, brands are redirecting spend toward channels with first-party data and purchase intent. Retailers see ad monetization as a new revenue stream, while advertisers value the closed-loop attribution these platforms offer. The growth of digital payments and fintech-linked commerce across Latin America further reinforces this trend.
- Retail media will continue to expand beyond marketplaces into grocery and electronics sectors. Collaborations between retailers and ad tech providers may increase to improve targeting and reporting. Expect retail media to become a standard component of omnichannel performance planning, particularly in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
Video Consumption is Shifting to Mobile-First and Short-Form Platforms
- Digital video remains a core format, but consumption is migrating from long-form content to mobile-first, short-form environments. Platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels dominate attention, especially among urban users in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. Even traditional broadcasters, such as Globo in Brazil, are investing in snackable video formats to remain relevant.
- Low-cost mobile data plans, widespread smartphone usage, and youth-led cultural trends have made short-form video the dominant mode of content consumption. Advertisers are responding by adapting creative formats, embracing vertical video, and collaborating with regional creators for authenticity and reach.
- Short-form video ad inventory will become more programmatic, with stronger integration of branded content and direct response elements. Video strategies will shift toward multi-format execution across platforms, with performance video emerging as a hybrid solution between branding and conversion. This trend is likely to intensify across urban centers and gradually spread to mid-tier cities.
Regulatory Momentum is Forcing Advertisers to Rethink Data Use and Consent
- Governments in several Latin American countries have begun strengthening digital privacy frameworks. Brazil’s LGPD, for example, continues to shape how advertisers collect, store, and use personal data. Other countries, including Mexico and Chile, have proposed or updated legislation that impacts consent management and user data portability.
- Increased scrutiny of global platforms and growing public awareness around data usage are pushing regulators to align more closely with global standards. The role of regional data protection authorities, such as Brazil’s ANPD, is expanding, resulting in clearer enforcement and compliance expectations for advertisers.
- Expect a broader shift toward first-party data strategies, privacy-focused targeting, and investment in consent management platforms. Multinational brands will likely apply stricter global compliance protocols across their Latin American operations. Smaller publishers and advertisers may face capability gaps, leading to increased reliance on compliant ad tech intermediaries.
Platform Consolidation is Reconfiguring Buying Models and Ad Tools
- Global platforms are consolidating ad tools, creative automation, and performance tracking under unified interfaces. Meta Advantage+, Google Performance Max, and Amazon DSP are examples of cross-format tools now widely used by Latin American advertisers, especially in Brazil and Mexico.
- The complexity of managing fragmented audiences across display, search, video, and commerce channels has led advertisers to adopt all-in-one solutions that promise simplicity and scale. Rising demand for automated campaign management particularly among small and mid-sized businesses is also pushing platforms to prioritize ease-of-use and ROAS-driven delivery.
- This consolidation will reduce friction in campaign deployment but may limit transparency and control for advanced buyers. Agencies and in-house teams will focus more on creative differentiation and audience strategy. Smaller markets such as Peru and Ecuador may benefit from simplified onboarding, accelerating digital maturity at the regional level.
Competitive Landscape - Digital Ad Spend
Latin America’s digital advertising market is evolving from a platform-dominated structure toward a more complex, ecosystem-driven competitive environment. While global players continue to command the majority of budgets, regional challengers including retail media networks, commerce platforms, broadcasters, and programmatic alliances are reshaping market dynamics through innovation, acquisition activity, and compliance-aligned strategies. Rising platform concentration, expanding retail media influence, and increasing regionalisation of tools and content are redefining how advertisers plan and activate campaigns.Over the forecast period, competitive advantage will hinge on operational adaptability across regulatory frameworks, creative localisation, and omnichannel execution. Advertisers and agencies that deepen integration with regional partners and invest in compliance-ready infrastructure will be best positioned to navigate Latin America’s evolving landscape.
Competition is Concentrated, but New Channels are Gaining Share
Current market dynamics reflect a mix of dominance and fragmentation:
- Google and Meta remain central to performance advertising, supported by widespread mobile use and small-business adoption of self-serve tools.
- TikTok has rapidly gained ad share, especially in Brazil and Mexico, through short-form video and influencer-led commerce integration.
- Amazon Ads continues to expand in the region, particularly in Mexico and Brazil, leveraging its marketplace position to grow ad sales.
Local Publishers and Broadcasters are Expanding Programmatic and Video Capabilities
Regional broadcasters and publishers are developing ad tech infrastructure to retain budget share:
- Globo (Brazil) has invested in its digital ecosystem, integrating linear and OTT inventory through Globo Ads, with programmatic and contextual tools for agencies.
- Caracol Televisión (Colombia) and TelevisaUnivision (Mexico) are also expanding digital video inventory and native formats.
- Spanish-language publishers such as Infobae are offering bundled video, display, and branded content options with regional targeting, while major Brazilian platforms like UOL provide similar multi-format advertising packages tailored to the Portuguese-speaking market.
Key Partnerships and Acquisitions Are Reconfiguring Ecosystem Alliances
Recent alliances and structural changes have shaped the competitive landscape:
- Mercado Libre has deepened collaborations with brands and media buyers, providing access to audience segments across retail and fintech units, including Mercado Pago.
- Around tentpole events like Carnival and football, Globo extends its linear and OTT coverage through strong YouTube distribution and short-form video engagement, enabling advertisers to combine broadcast reach with digital scale
- Walmart Chile has expanded its retail media offering through integration with technology partners, following trends observed in North America.
- Several regional agencies have formalized partnerships with global DSPs and SSPs to expand programmatic coverage across Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
Regulatory Activity is Forcing Platforms to Realign Ad Practices
Privacy and competition laws are becoming more assertive in shaping digital advertising in Latin America:
- Brazil’s LGPD enforcement continues, with the ANPD (National Data Protection Authority) issuing guidelines on lawful bases for personalized ads and consent management.
- Mexico’s data regulator (INAI) has increased oversight of user data sharing and consent flows in digital platforms, especially social networks and marketplaces.
- Chile’s proposed Personal Data Protection Bill, still under legislative review, aims to tighten controls on profiling and data retention by digital platforms.
Forecast: Regional Players Will Gain Influence Amid Compliance and Commerce Shifts
Over the next 2-4 years, Latin America's competitive landscape is expected to evolve along these lines:
- Retail media will solidify as a third performance pillar, particularly in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Mercado Libre, Magazine Luiza, and Cencosud Digital are expected to deepen their offerings through self-serve dashboards and audience extension products.
- CTV and programmatic video will gain share, as local broadcasters enhance addressable capabilities and advertisers shift brand spend to digital-first environments.
- Data compliance will become a strategic differentiator, especially as cross-border ad campaigns need to navigate inconsistent privacy frameworks across countries.
- Localised creative and language-specific targeting will see greater demand, benefiting regional publishers and creator networks.
- Global platforms will remain dominant, but must navigate rising pressure from regulators and advertisers demanding more transparency and control.
The report offers in-depth segmentation across the ad spend market, covering spend distribution by channel (television, print, radio, outdoor, and digital) and detailed breakdowns within digital ad spend, including search, ecommerce, news and media, social platforms, gaming environments, and other digital destinations. It further categorizes digital ad spend by formats such as video, display, influencer marketing, email, and audio, alongside device platforms and pricing models. Additional analysis captures industry-level allocation patterns and the structure of the digital ad spend market across walled gardens and the open web, as well as distinctions between programmatic and direct media buying. Collectively, these datasets provide a comprehensive and quantifiable view of market size, spend behavior, and the structural dynamics shaping digital ad spend.
The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to deliver a detailed view of market performance, structural trends, and growth dynamics across the ad spend market, with a primary focus on digital ad spend market.
This title is a bundled offering, combining the following 5 reports, covering 250+ tables and 350+ figures:
- Latin America Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
- Argentina Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
- Brazil Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
- Colombia Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
- Mexico Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
Report Scope
This report provides a detailed data-centric analysis of the regional digital ad spend industry, with comprehensive coverage across both ad spend and digital ad spend markets. Below is a summary of key market segments:Ad Spend Market Size and Growth Dynamics
- Spend Value
Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Advertising Channel
- Television Advertising
- Print Advertising
- Radio Advertising
- Outdoor Advertising
- Digital Advertising
- Other
Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Television Advertising
- Linear TV Advertising
- Connected TV / OTT Video Advertising
Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Radio Advertising
- Traditional Radio Advertising
- Digital Audio / Podcast Advertising
Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Outdoor Advertising
- Traditional OOH Advertising
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising
Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Digital Advertising
- Spend Value
Digital Ad Spend Market by Segmentation
- Search Engine Sites
- Ecommerce Sites
- News & Media Sites
- Social Media
- Gaming Platforms
- Forums & Classifieds
- Others
- Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Social Media
Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Gaming Platforms
- Around Games Environment Ad Spend
- In Game Environment Ad Spend
- In Game Immersive Ad Spend
- Exclusive Advertising Games Spend
Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Format & Media
- Video
- Display
- Influencer Marketing
- Blogging and Podcasting
Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Platform
- Mobile
- Desktop and Laptop
Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Pricing Model
- Cost Per Mile (CPM)
- Cost Per Click (CPC)
- Performance Based Advertising
- Others
Digital Ad Spend Market Segmentation by Industry
- Technology
- Travel & Hospitality
- FMCG
- Automotive
- Media & Entertainment
- Telecommunications
- Retail & Consumer Goods
- Business and Financial Services
- Pharmaceutical and Healthcare
- Public Sector
- Construction and Real estate
- Education
- Home Appliances and Furniture
- Other Industries
Digital Ad Spend Market by Digital Ecosystem
- Walled Gardens
- Open Web / Independent Publishers
Digital Ad Spend Market by Media Buying Method
- Programmatic Advertising
- Direct Advertising
Reasons to Buy
- Comprehensive Market Intelligence: Gain an integrated view of the full advertising landscape, covering both traditional channels (television, print, radio, outdoor) and the rapidly expanding digital advertising ecosystem. Track essential spend metrics, including channel-wise allocation, digital share evolution, and growth patterns across formats and platforms.
- Granular Coverage of Digital Advertising: Explore detailed segmentation across search engines, ecommerce platforms, news and media publishers, social networks, gaming environments, forums, classifieds, and other digital destinations. Social media and gaming are further broken down by individual platforms and ad environments, enabling precise assessment of digital inventory performance.
- Segment-Wise Insights and Cross-Analysis: Evaluate advertising trends across formats (video, display, email, influencer marketing, blogging/podcasting), device platforms (mobile vs. desktop/laptop), pricing models (CPM, CPC, performance-based), industries, and digital ecosystems (walled gardens vs. open web). Cross-segmentation supports deeper understanding of how advertisers allocate budgets across channels, formats, and audiences.
- Advertiser and Audience Behaviour Analytics: Understand how brands across sectors such as retail, BFSI, FMCG, technology, automotive, media, healthcare, education, and others, distribute their digital budgets. Assess audience engagement patterns and platform choices, providing actionable insights into reach, attention, and return on spend.
- Digital Infrastructure and Ecosystem Readiness: Assess the maturity of the enabling digital ecosystem, CTV/OTT expansion, and programmatic infrastructure, all of which shape the evolution of digital advertising models and automated buying practices.
- Data-Driven Forecasts and KPI Benchmarking: Access a comprehensive dataset of 100+ KPIs with historical and forecast data through 2029, offering visibility into channel evolution, digital acceleration, format-level momentum, and emerging opportunities in programmatic buying, retail media, gaming, and CTV/OTT.
- Decision-Ready Databook Format: Delivered in a structured, data-centric format, the Databook supports seamless integration into marketing strategies, budget planning frameworks, investment cases, and competitive benchmarking. It equips agencies, advertisers, platforms, publishers, and policymakers with evidence-based insights to guide strategic decisions.
Table of Contents
This title is a bundled offering, combining the following 5 reports, covering 250+ tables and 350+ figures:
1. About this Report
2. Ad Spend Market Size and Forecast, 2020-2029
3. Ad Spend Market Size by Advertising Channel, 2025
4. Television Advertising Market Size by Segments, 2020-2029
5. Radio Advertising Market Size by Segments, 2020-2029
6. Outdoor Advertising Market Size by Segments, 2020-2029
7. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Segments, 2025
8. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Social Media Platform, 2025
9. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Gaming Platforms, 2025
10. Digital Ad Spend Market Share by Format & Media, 2020-2029
11. Digital Ad Spend Market Share by Platform, 2020-2029
12. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Pricing Model, 2020-2029
13. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Marketing Objective, 2025
14. Digital Ad Spend Market Share by Industry, 2025
15. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Digital Ecosystem, 2020-2029
16. Digital Ad Spend Market Size by Media Buying Method, 2020-2029
17. Further Reading
List of Tables
List of Figures
Table Information
| Report Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| No. of Pages | 450 |
| Published | January 2026 |
| Forecast Period | 2026 - 2029 |
| Estimated Market Value ( USD | $ 50.1 Billion |
| Forecasted Market Value ( USD | $ 70.9 Billion |
| Compound Annual Growth Rate | 12.3% |
| Regions Covered | Latin America |
