The latest edition of the IAB Croatia Online Media AdEx study confirms what the industry has been experiencing in practice for some time: digital channels are not only growing, but are increasingly taking on a central role in media budget planning.
According to IAB Croatia estimates, total investment in online advertising in Croatia in 2025 reached €190.9 million, representing a growth of nearly 23% compared to the previous year. Projections for 2026 further confirm a stable trend, with expected growth to €202.8 million.
The research is based on the standardized methodology of IAB Europe, combining member data, publicly available sources, and the expertise of the working group, while Ipsos participated as an independent partner in data analysis and validation.
Market structure: balance between display and social media
Although display advertising still holds the leading position with approximately €63 million in investment, social media is close behind, with around €60 million and continuous growth. This relationship confirms a stable market structure, but also a clear shift in dynamics within channels.
Search advertising exceeded €47 million, while influencer marketing surpassed the €10 million threshold, signaling increasing diversification of investments.
Mobile, video, and programmatic are no longer trends
The data further confirms that mobile, video, and programmatic have become standard rather than a development direction. Mobile devices account for as much as 82% of display advertising, while programmatic buying represents 66%, indicating a high level of automation and optimization in media buying.
Video formats continue to take on an increasingly important role, with a 48% share within display advertising in 2025 and a projected increase to 52% in 2026. At the overall level of video advertising, the dominance of mobile devices is even more pronounced, accounting for 75% of consumption, while desktop contributes 17%.
A notable shift comes from the Connected TV segment, which, with an 8% share, enters the structure of video advertising for the first time, opening space for new formats and content distribution strategies.
Platforms: stable dominance with new shifts
Within social media, Meta continues to hold a dominant position. Facebook accounts for 47% of investment, while Instagram follows with 42%, meaning these two platforms together make up the majority of the paid social market. At the same time, TikTok is recording growth and reaching an 8% share, confirming advertisers’ interest in formats that generate higher levels of engagement. Snapchat accounts for 2%, while LinkedIn and other platforms maintain a smaller but stable share. A similar pattern is visible in video advertising, where Facebook leads with 56%, YouTube holds 24%, while the rest of the market is divided among other channels and formats.
Growth with increasing caution
Although the growth in 2025 is the result of long-term structural changes, expectations for the coming period also include a certain level of caution. Geopolitical uncertainty and changing economic conditions are already affecting budget planning, shortening planning horizons and increasing the focus on efficiency.
In such an environment, video, especially in combination with Connected TV, is increasingly positioned as a key channel for brand building, offering a balance between reach, attention, and context that is increasingly difficult to achieve in a fragmented digital space.
Industry benchmark
IAB Croatia Online Media AdEx has been serving as a reference point for understanding the domestic digital market for the fifth consecutive year, offering detailed insights into the movement of budgets, channels, and formats. The results of the research are also used as part of a broader European report, making local data part of the global picture of industry development.
The detailed report remains available to IAB Croatia members, while the wider industry, through summaries like this, receives a clear signal of the direction in which the market is moving.
