The State of Media Sales™

Sponsored by AdMall®
and BIA Advisory Services

Imagine a ballroom of nearly 200 media sales managers, directors, vice presidents and corporate leaders — all together sharing sensitive information with their competitors. They'd be openly discussing how they did last year, what businesses they're targeting, where they're having success and what problems they're having. Now imagine another another ballroom of 300 salespeople sharing the same kinds of information with their competitors. 

You'd have to imagine it, because that's obviously not going to happen. That's why SalesFuel conducts a confidential survey of media sales managers, salespeople and executive leadership to crowdsource their intelligence — allowing you to learn emerging trends in media sales and digital marketing agencies.

The questions in our 13th biennial survey were designed to help you understand the extent of the shift to digital formats in media sales, where media sales professionals see their greatest opportunities and challenges, where leadership expects revenue to come from, and the issues that most concern media sales managers.

SalesFuel conducted its thirteenth annual State of Media Sales™ survey in August 2025, in conjunction with partner, BIA Advisory Services. 540 self-reported media sellers and managers completed this 15-minute survey. These professionals represent the broadcast TV, cable TV, radio, print, out-of-home, and direct response sectors, along with those who have more than 50% of their revenue from digital sources. All are actively employed by media sales companies in the United States. Note that some respondents sell multiple media formats.

The survey reveals media sellers’ estimates on projected revenue for 2025. In addition, the survey provides insights into the top growth sectors for 2026. Finally, media sellers discuss how they are using AI in their jobs and describe their attitudes about this technology.

Survey participants were asked which media category from BIA Advisory Services best represents the type of media company they sell for based on the following definitions:

Television Advertising – Television advertising sales is responsible for revenue generated by local television stations through both traditional over-the-air broadcasts and digital channels, including streaming platforms and station-owned digital properties. This covers commercial time sold to national and local advertisers, interactive video ads, and digital sponsorships, but this survey does not cover advertising sold by national broadcast networks and retransmission consent fees.

Cable Television Advertising – Cable television advertising sales is responsible for revenue earned by local cable systems from selling commercial time across their distributed network of aired channels to national and local advertisers. This survey does not include advertising sales managed by national cable networks, ensuring a focus on locally-targeted cable ad placements, interstitials, and branded programming.

Radio Advertising – Radio advertising sales is responsible for all revenue generated by local radio stations from both traditional over-the-air broadcasts and digital platforms. This includes local and national spot placements, streaming audio ads, event marketing sponsorships, branded podcasts, station websites, banner ads, and programmatic buys sold direct or through third-party digital platforms. National network radio ad sales are not covered in this survey.

Magazine Advertising – Magazine advertising sales is responsible for print and digital revenues generated by local market magazines from both local and national advertisers. This includes display ads, native placements, sponsored content, digital banners, and programmatic campaigns delivered across websites, apps, and digital editions.

Newspaper Advertising – Newspaper advertising sales is responsible for both print and digital revenue earned by local daily and weekly newspapers, local business journals and alternative publications from national and local advertisers. This includes display ads, classified listings, sponsored content, event marketing sponsorships, and digital placements in online editions, websites, and apps.

Advertising – Digital advertising sales is responsible for all ad revenue generated from desktops, laptops, mobile devices, social media platforms, and email campaigns. Formats included are search engine marketing, display and banner ads, video ad units, in-app advertisement, native social media sponsored content (across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.), and direct email marketing using newsletters, personalized offers, or sponsored sends. Both local pure-play and geo-targeted national advertiser campaigns are covered under this category.

Direct Response Advertising – Direct Response advertising sales is responsible for all revenue from local and national advertisers utilizing direct mail for promoting products, services, or campaigns. This includes investments in printed mailings, catalogs, postage, production costs, and data-driven mailing strategies for lead generation, customer acquisition and retention.

Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising – Out-of-home advertising sales is responsible for revenue from ad placements focused on reaching consumers outside their homes in high-traffic public spaces. Formats include traditional billboards, digital billboards, transit advertising and street furniture advertising, place-based digital signage, taxi advertising and rideshare ads, and digital cinema advertising.

Over-the-Top (OTT) & Connected TV (CTV) Advertising – OTT and Connected TV advertising covers local and national targeted ads delivered via streaming video to internet-enabled devices, including smart TVs, IP-connected set-top boxes, streaming sticks, and devices such as Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. OTT includes video delivered to any device, while CTV is limited to television sets. This category emphasizes programmatic streaming inventory purchased for on-demand and live content across leading platforms.