Retail media networks. Commerce media networks. Hey, but don’t forget about travel media networks.
EMARKETER has released new research projecting that travel media networks—advertising platforms built within the travel ecosystem, also known as “TMNs”—are set to surpass $2 billion in ad spend this year for the first time, reaching $2.13 billion. They also forecast that TMN ad spend will approach $3 billion by 2026, hitting an estimated $2.96 billion.
TMN ad spend is expected to grow by about 30% this year, with double-digit growth continuing through the forecast period to 2026, according to EMARKETER. The report is part of a broader TMN explainer that EMARKETER released about a week ago.
Why This Matters:
Travel is emerging as a key player in the commerce media space, following the success of retail media networks. Companies across the travel sector, including airlines, ride-hailing apps, and online travel agencies, are launching media networks powered by their first-party data. As a result, travel media networks have become an attractive option—evident from the EMARKETER data—for both travel-related and non-endemic brands wanting to reach valuable travel audiences.
Key examples of travel media networks include those from Expedia, Marriott, Uber, Lyft, and United Airlines. Marriott was really the first to launch its network a few years ago, and now there has been a surge in other networks over the last year. Recently, for instance, Expedia Group launched its travel media network in May 2024, and United Airlines introduced Kinective Media, its new retail media network, at Cannes Lions.
Experts React:
According to EMARKETER analyst Sara Lebow, “Despite promising growth, TMN spend is still a much smaller player in the commerce media landscape than retail media networks (RMNs). RMN spend will total $54.85 billion this year, our forecast shows.”
Our Take:
The proliferation of media networks across industries reflects a clear trend: any brand with direct audience access through owned channels can monetize that relationship.
This growth, however, creates complexity for advertisers who must now navigate multiple walled garden ecosystems. Like social media and CTV platforms, commerce media networks control their own proprietary data, ad inventory, and measurement systems – creating closed environments where advertisers must work within each platform’s specific rules and capabilities.
Commerce media networks, however, appear to have learned some lessons from other spaces. Take measurement. While social media platforms were extremely reluctant to enable third-party measurement until advertiser pressure made it necessary (following a number of high profile errors), and CTV platforms are operating similarly, commerce networks have been much more proactive from the start. Or, at least it seems that way.
