What will 2026 mean for television, and how will audiences watch, engage and connect with content in the year ahead?
These were the big questions tackled at last night’s Royal Television Society 2026 TV Predictions event, chaired by BBC News Culture & Media Editor Katie Razzall and featuring a standout panel of industry leaders: Jonathan Allan (Channel 4), Ash Atalla (Roughcut), Ruth Berry (ITV Studios), Fiona Campbell (BBC Content) and Evan Shapiro (EShap).
The discussion was nothing short of bold predictions, lively debates and insights spanning economics, audience behaviour, tech and creativity. Here’s what stood out to us…
1. The Bigger Picture: Economics, Elections and Advertising
The conversation opened with the global economic landscape and the external forces most likely to shift the industry. Evan Shapiro pointed to the upcoming US mid-term elections, where more than $13 billion is expected to be spent on political campaigning.
While this can commonly be seen as negative, Shapiro positioned this as a significant opportunity for the media industry, particularly advertising. Political spend will accelerate the move toward ultra-targeted advertising, specified to the individual rather than the mass audience. As ever, when the US market shifts, global entertainment trends tend to follow.
A recurring theme emerged early: the value is no longer just in owning IP, but in how effectively you distribute it.
2. The World Cup Effect
Another major talking point was the upcoming World Cup, which the panel unanimously agreed would deliver a significant boost to the industry. Large-scale cultural moments like this continue to drive collective viewing and increased engagement across the board.
Jonathan Allan highlighted that even broadcasters not holding live match rights, including Channel 4, still benefit from uplifted viewing during major sporting events. In a fragmented media landscape, moments of national and global attention remain hugely valuable.
3. Acquisitions: Growth or Noise?
Industry consolidation and acquisitions also came up as a hot topic, with discussion around major players including Netflix & Warner Bros. Discovery and All3Media & Banijay.
The panel challenged whether some of the current acquisition conversations carry real strategic substance, asking a critical question: will these deals genuinely drive growth, or simply create scale without innovation?
4. Content, Experimentation and Fandom
When it came to content, passion and specificity emerged as key success factors. Ash Atalla referenced recent hits such as Adolescence and Baby Reindeer, along with his own scripted content, arguing that content thrives when it is deeply particular rather than broadly generic.
Ruth Berry added to this, suggesting that fandom will increasingly surpass traditional reach metrics. Shows like Love Island now exist as multi-platform ecosystems, from games, podcasts, social content and spin-offs, proving that audience engagement doesn’t stop at transmission.
Niche, when done well, is powerful.
5. How, and Where, We’ll Watch TV
The discussion then turned to audience behaviour and distribution, including the newly announced BBC and YouTube partnership. The panel agreed that streaming will continue to surpass broadcast and cable, but platform strategy must be audience-led.
Gen Z and millennials are now the dominant demographics, and while archive content still performs, where it lives matters more than ever. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram all play distinct roles, and younger audiences are increasingly open to long-form content, provided it’s on the right platform.
Netflix’s move into podcasts was cited as a clear example of this evolution.
6. AI: Tool, Not a Replacement
AI inevitably featured heavily in predictions for 2026. The panel broadly agreed that the AI bubble is likely to burst this year, driven by too much investment and too little meaningful growth.
Where AI does show real promise is in supporting the industry’s infrastructure: rights management, discovery, user journeys and administrative processes. However, there was firm consensus that AI cannot and should not replace humans in the creative industry.
Final Thoughts
If one thing was clear from the evening, it’s that 2026 will be defined by smarter distribution, braver content choices and a sharper understanding of audiences, not just who they are, but where and how they engage.
In an industry facing constant change, the winners will be those who stay agile, audience-first and unafraid to experiment.