5 Media Trends for 2026
I don’t know about you, but it’s a great time to analyze the media landscape.
Brands and creators are innovating with a wide range of content formats. We've also started to see massive shakeups in the media world (RIP Teen Vogue) that will have long-lasting impacts on the industry and consumer behavior.
Here are some trends that I’m seeing emerge for 2026:
Branded entertainment studios
We've already seen brands like Tower 28 and Bilt create scripted series on their social media accounts.
Now, brands like Under Armour and Dick's Sporting Goods are taking it one step further by developing entertainment studios to create original, human-centric, storytelling-driven content.
Brands are moving away from content as a way to move audience down the funnel and moving towards it in a way to connect further with audiences (think Apple TV).
Seeing as consumers are turning to streaming services and social media rather than television for content consumption. Brands are capitalizing on the trend to become the go-to source for entertainment.
Decentralized media
As traditional media brands fold or consolidate into larger conglomerates (and trust in these institutions is at an all-time low), we're seeing a rise in independent media entities—newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc.
Journalists are taking their followers with them. Creators are leaning more into education rather than aspirational lifestyle. Experts and business owners are creating platforms to share their expertise.
From a consumer perspective, we're shifting who we trust for news and information, turning to independent journalists and creators for different perspectives, insights, and stories, especially seeing as creators are more trusted than traditional brand ads. This is presenting a unique opportunity to create a new legion of trusted and credible media sources.
Founder-led thought leadership
Seventy-one percent of consumers are more likely to purchase if the founder is active on social.
This has given rise to a whole movement around founder-led social. Founders are leaning into storytelling and building in public to pull back the curtain on the businesses they’re building. Some founders are even leaning into building media platforms to position themselves as an authority in their industry, not just generate buzz for their products.
This kind of content showcases point of view, helping founders stand out in saturated industries. They can build more trust and credibility by putting a face to the name. And for startups, the founder becomes synonymous with the brand.
Companies (especially start ups) are investing more in thought leadership content to supplement content marketing. It’s no longer a “nice to have” but a necessity. We're already seeing it with companies like PayPal hiring a "Head of CEO Content" and others hiring ghostwriters to boost a founder’s social media presence.
Private content channels
With AI content taking over search engine results pages, we're going to see a rise in private content channels to get people off of search and onto email lists, into paid communities, etc.
The reason? Content quality.
Private content channels lend themselves better to original thinking, POV, and insight than to generic, AI-generated slop. There’s a barrier to entry to join, whether it’s payment or an email address, so it’s not as accessible as content accessed via search engines.
To find out about this content, you have to find them via word of mouth or follow the creator. And not everyone knows about them—unless you happen to be a part of the same community. And if you are a part of it? It feels like a luxury because you’re getting content you can’t find anywhere else.
Being chronically online? So out. But being in a digital community? So in.
Op-ed formats
We're seeing content shift to a three-part structure:
1. Reporting (what is happening)
2. Expertise (how to make sense of it)
3. Interpretation (what this means and why this matters)
It's creating a more op-ed-like structure that keeps original thinking at the forefront.
Where AI can handle facts and figures, it's human insight, observation, and critique that create more interesting content. It gives creators permission to be uncensored, a little unhinged, and spicy. Because that is the kind of content that breaks through the noise.
As we see more creator-educators emerge, experience is the biggest credibility and authority builder for building trust. People want to see themselves in the content they consume. They want to feel like it’s relatable and that someone is not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.
That being said, opinion alone doesn’t build authority. You need to have a basis for your claims, rooting it in data, resources, or credible sources.
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