Video Production and Marketing in 2026: The AI-First Era

AI is here and it's here to stay.


In 2026, video production and marketing entered an "AI-first" era. This should be clear even to those not in the business. It’s clear because of the near-universal adoption and its spread throughout nearly every industry.

Don’t be fooled; this isn’t another trend to add to your business’ marketing wishlist - it’s a fundamental shift in how businesses communicate, engage with, and convert their audiences. The numbers don’t lie, and they’re painting a clear picture of an industry that’s not only growing, but absolutely thriving.

 

Show Me the Money!

Of course, the important bit; money.

The global digital video advertising spend in 2025 reached a staggering $207.5 BILLION and is projected to hit $223.5 billion by the end of 2026 [9,14].

Now this is clearly not change found down the back of the sofa - it’s a clear indication that businesses worldwide are backing video with serious investment because they are seeing serious returns.

Marketers feel really good about video, with 92% planning to stick with or increase their budgets in 2026 [4]. They aren't just taking a chance; they're doubling down on a strategy that clearly delivers results. For B2B companies in the UK, those putting 21–30% of their marketing money into video are actually seeing their revenue grow 49% faster than the others [3, 10].

That’s a serious competitive edge.

When it comes to where people are watching, mobile remains king. A solid 62% of consumers prefer their smartphones for viewing content [7, 12], which makes sense when you think about how we actually consume content throughout our day—on the commute, during lunch breaks, or whilst pretending to listen in video calls (we've all been there). Meanwhile, Connected TV (CTV) is carving out its own impressive territory, with ad revenue expected to grow to $36 billion in 2026 [9, 14]. The living room screen isn't dead; it's just evolved.

The Part Where We Convince Your Finance Director

Video isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore, with 93% of marketers considering it an important element in their strategy [4,11], and 82% report a strong ROI [4].These aren't little gains we're talking about; these are results that make finance directors sit up and with their interest well and truly piqued.

The sales impact is VERY compelling. 83% of marketers report that video has directly increased sales [4,12]. We are not talking about “ possibly influenced” or “potentially helped” - we are talking about direct increase. What’s even more impressive is that 85% of consumers have been swayed to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video [4,15].

With conversions like that, video is a total non-brainer for anyone serious about growth.

Once you have chosen to go down the video marketing road, you have to know popular formats. The format that dominates at the moment is short-form videos under 60 seconds in duration. It delivers the highest engagement and ROI across platforms [2,13]. In an age where the attention span is rarer than chicken teeth, being able to communicate your message quickly and effectively isn’t a good idea - it’s an ESSENTIAL idea.

 

Sound off, Captions on.

This is where the “AI-first” label actually starts to make sense. AI usage in production surged to 63% in 2026 [4], up from 51% in 2025 [9,14]. That’s a massive increase in only a single year, and it’s totally transforming how videos get made.

The most popular applications include caption writing (60%+), script writing (49.8%), and language translation (31%) [10]. AI is not replacing creativity but taking care of the "technical details" so that the creative person can do the things that matter most: storytelling.

Captioning is one of the things that is no longer optional. This is because 85% to 92% of users watch video content with the sound off [1, 10]. This means if your video is not captioned, it might as well not exist. The number of people captioning their videos has gone up by an astonishing 572% since 2021 [10]. This is not only about accessibility (which is very important) but about engaging your audience where they are.

 

Not All Platforms Are Created Equal

The behemoth that is YouTube is still the dominant platform, with 82% to 90% of video marketers utilising it [4, 10, 14]. This is the second-largest search engine globally, and it is for obvious reasons, as people search for content, solutions, and entertainment.

LinkedIn is clearly where all professionals go for their video content, as it is used by 70% of video marketers in 2026 [1, 4]. If you’re a B2B business, video content on LinkedIn is no longer a choice. Decision-makers are viewing content and engaging with brands on LinkedIn.

TikTok, despite being used by 40% of businesses [4], is growing at a faster rate in terms of consumer reach and has very high engagement levels when it comes to short-form videos [9]. TikTok is more than just a dance challenge platform - it’s also used for innovative and authentic reach strategies by businesses.

 

The Bottom Line...

The upshot of all this is that video marketing in 2026 isn’t just an effective strategy - it’s now essential.

It’s a conclusion that’s hard to escape. The combo of AI-powered production tools, mobile-first consumption habits, and a proven ROI has created the perfect storm for businesses to create compelling video content more easily and effectively than previously thought was possible.

Whether you're a B2B operation or consumer-facing brand, the question isn't whether to invest in video - it's how quickly you can scale up your efforts to meet the moment.