In The Know: Media Industry Update FEB 2026
The media pulse decoded by your agency.
Contents:
- The Consumer Is Doing Risk Maths, Not Price Maths
- Where AI Gets Its Facts From (Hint: Not Your Website)
- Foxtel Media Winter Codes 2026 Upfront: What Matters
The Consumer is Doing Risk Maths, not Price Maths
Interest rates are up, inflation is proving sticky, and unemployment remains low, creating a nuanced economic environment. Consumers are not hunting for the cheapest option they are hunting for the option they can feel good about.
The latest ING research into Australians’ saving habits at the end of 2025 reinforces this shift. Priorities for consumers centred on building an emergency fund and investing in health and experiences.
The brands that reduce doubt and reinforce smart decisions will outperform those competing on price alone. In a values-driven market, making the choice feel safe, considered and justified is what turns consideration into conversion and brand into advantage.
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Where AI Gets its Facts From (Hint: Not Your Website)
According to analytics provider Searchable (leveraging research from Semrush): networks, communities, and publishing platforms such as Reddit, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Medium and YouTube are among the most cited sources in AI responses.
Research from Muck Rack and others says that earned editorial coverage across trade and mainstream publications also plays a significant role in shaping what AI systems surface.
The exact mix will vary by engine and query type but the message is this:
AI favours platforms and publishers with real user content, active communities, verified expertise and credible editorial oversight.
Your brand website? Not so much.
What brands should rethink for 2026
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1. Reassess how your brand builds externally validated authority
Independently referenced trumps self-published.
Make sure your thinking is visible in places where others can engage with it, reference it, or incorporate it into their own content.
In practice:
- Publish informed opinion on LinkedIn that contributes to industry debates. Exert opinion, brand distinction, not just corporate announcements.
- Seek inclusion in trade media, round-ups and category discussions.
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2. Focus less on publishing quantity and more on being quotable
AI systems favour thinking that is cited, quoted and reused.
In practice:
- Create comprehensive, well-sourced content designed to be referenced; the kind that earns authority, not just clicks.
- Develop research, frameworks or perspectives that others can point to.
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3. Build category presence, not just channel presence
AI engines surface brands embedded in ongoing industry narratives.
In practice:
- Audit where your industry conversations happen and show up consistently.
- Participate in forums, panels and professional communities where your expertise is visible and attributable.
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4. Assess the weight you place on media relations investment and implementation
AI engines quote credible editorial sources.
In practice:
- Proactively build and sustain presence in credible trade and mainstream publications.
- Prioritise commentary, research and perspectives that journalists and industry analysts can reference independently.
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5. Maintain knowledge hygiene across neutral platforms
AI models draw from publicly available factual information.
In practice:
- Ensure factual references to your brand (including neutral knowledge platforms such as Wikipedia) are accurate, well-sourced and up to date.
- Monitor for inaccuracies and address them transparently through appropriate editorial channels.
- Build sufficient independent coverage so that third-party references accurately reflect your positioning.
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What this means for media strategy
Buying ad placements does not make AI systems cite your brand. AI models do not reference display ads or paid media directly.
The pathway of influence is indirect but material:
Media investment → brand scale and share of voice → independent references & editorial relevance → AI citation probability.
This has implications for weighting across the mix.
- Sustained share of voice increases the likelihood of independent reference.
- Long-term investment builds category authority, not just campaign spikes.
- Strong brand presence improves the odds of being surfaced in both human and AI-mediated discovery.
When it comes to AI-driven discovery, visibility is shaped by where your brand is independently referenced, not just what you publish on your own channels. And smart media investment shapes the information environment that AI systems reflect.
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Foxtel Media Winter Codes 2026 Upfronts: What Matters
Foxtel Media presented its Winter Codes 2026 upfront in Brisbane this month, headlined by the announcement of YouTube integration.
From June 2026, YouTube inventory will be available across Fox Sports, Kayo and BINGE environments, with further detail to be released in the coming months.
For brands targeting 25 to 54 year olds in premium sport contexts, the efficiency case is strong, particularly when integrated into a broader audience strategy rather than treated as a standalone buy.
The AG team will be sure to keep an eye on these advancements and how it might support existing YouTube investments.
