CES 2026: 4 key takeaways advertisers can act on now
What this year’s event actually means for planning, performance, and growth.
Samsung Ads CES highlights at a glance
● The launch of Samsung’s Vision AI companion and our AI-enhanced ad solutions proves that the future of entertainment - and advertising - is interactive, intuitive and personalized.
● Samsung Ads and Snowflake collaborate to unlock the power of Samsung audience, linear and CTV campaign data.
● FAST expands how audiences engage with TV content while proving to be a powerful growth engine for marketers
CES has always been a proving ground for what’s next – new screens, formats, and promises.
But walking into CES 2026, something felt different. In meetings with agency partners and advertisers, the conversations weren’t speculative. No one was asking whether AI belonged in the media plan. No one debated whether interactivity would stick. And no one framed FAST as experimental.
Those questions have already been settled.
What CES revealed instead was how firmly these ideas have moved into day‑to‑day planning. AI is treated as infrastructure, interactivity is briefed alongside creative, performance expectations extend across screens, and FAST is now planned with intent.
The tone around these strategic pillars moved from testing to execution, and that shift matters. It signals that the industry is moving past adoption and into accountability.
Below, we break down what CES 2026 made clear and what advertisers should take away as they plan for the year ahead.
1. AI is now infrastructure, not a headline
AI was everywhere at CES 2026, but rarely positioned as the story itself. Instead, it showed up as something embedded into workflows, quietly improving planning, personalization, optimization, and experience design. The conversation has moved on from whether AI belongs in the media plan to how seamlessly it can support better outcomes across the funnel.
Samsung’s Vision AI announcements reflected this reality. Samsung continues to lead in AI innovation by transforming the TV from a passive screen into a personalized, interactive hub at the center of the connected home. By embedding intelligence directly into Samsung TVs through Tizen OS, the TV becomes an active assistant – responding visually, guiding discovery, and shortening the path from intent to action. This powers more intuitive discovery, personalized recommendations, and smarter multi-device interactions.
“Samsung is building a more unified, more personal experience across mobile, visual display, home appliances and services,” said TM Roh, CEO and Head of Device eXperience, Samsung Electronics. “With our global connected ecosystem, and by embedding AI across categories, Samsung is leading the way to offer more meaningful everyday AI experiences.”
For advertisers, the implications are practical and immediate. Our suite of AI-enhanced ad solutions enables more precise reach, contextual alignment with content, and optimization that improves with continued exposure.
As AI moves upstream into planning workflows and downstream into performance outcomes, it is no longer a differentiator, but an operational baseline. "By enhancing our advertising solutions with AI, we're empowering brands to stay ahead of the curve, enabling deeper consumer connections and more efficient, measurable outcomes,” said Paritosh Desai, VP of AI/ML at Samsung Ads. “Our offerings not only enhance the viewer experience but also set a new standard for efficient advertising in the AI-first era."
2. FAST is now foundational, not experimental
At CES, FAST was center stage. Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s #1 FAST service, led the conversation as the place where premium content, creators, and measurable performance come together. Samsung TV Plus reaches over 88 million monthly active users, with global viewership up more than 50% year over year. The ecosystem is built for scale, featuring nearly 700 channels in the U.S. and more than 3,500 channels globally.
“As more creators expand into longer-form programming, Samsung TV Plus has become the leading global home for premium, creator-driven channels for creators like MrBeast, Dhar Mann, Michelle Khare, The Try Guys, and more,” said Kerry Nelson, Head of Brand Marketing, Samsung Ads.
For advertisers, the opportunity is clear. Samsung TV Plus offers premium, brand-safe environments paired with creator-driven storytelling — and measurable outcomes — all in one place,” said Nelson.
3. Interactivity is being planned as a standard experience
One of CES’s clearest signals was how mainstream the interactivity conversation has become. As engagement behaviors continue to evolve, advertising is now expected to respond in real-time.
On Samsung TV Plus, interactive content and ad formats like GameBreaks demonstrate how participation is becoming part of the core viewing experience. These formats are designed to align with how people already navigate content and make decisions.
This changes how engagement is evaluated. Participation is now part of the brief, not an add‑on. Interactive elements are being considered alongside media and creative decisions from the start, rather than layered in at the end as an experiment.
One example is the recent Jonas Brothers’ exclusive tour, streamed on Samsung TV Plus. Capitalizing on the highly-engaged fandom tuning into the concert, Samsung TV Plus invited fans to vote live on their Samsung TVs during the concert to determine the final song played by the band. The result? Off the charts viewer engagement on Samsung TV Plus and a rise in Jonas Brothers ticket sales.
“The option to live vote for a song displayed a powerful example of the future of TV,” said Ryan Wilson, Managing Director of Enterprise Sales, North America, at Samsung Ads. “It successfully combined content, fandom, and participation.”
4. Performance expectations have caught up to CTV
As the line between brand and performance continues to blur, advertisers are applying the same standards to CTV that they expect across digital channels. They want clarity on outcomes, confidence in measurement, and the ability to optimize across screens.
Reach still matters, of course, but it’s no longer sufficient on its own.
“Connected ecosystems like Samsung’s give marketers visibility across the entire journey from who sees a campaign on TV to who installs the app or drives revenue on mobile. With this cross-screen clarity, brands can measure real impact and feel confident in what’s actually moving the business,”said Cathy Oh, VP and Head of Marketing at Samsung Ads.
One example? Samsung Ads’ Mobile Conversion solution, which has proved that CTV can measurably drive app installs and boost ROAS. For a leading mobile gaming company, our solution reduced cost-per-install by nearly one-third and helped the client surpass 50% of its Day 7 ROAS goals.
Samsung Ads used CES to reinforce how it’s responding to these expectations. A deeper partnership with Snowflake and expanded measurement capabilities reflect a broader emphasis on interoperability, transparency, and privacy‑forward data collaboration Rather than forcing advertisers into closed systems, these partnerships are designed to support planning, attribution, and optimization in ways that align with how teams already operate.
What CES 2026 clarified for the year ahead
The big CES takeaway? The future is here. AI drives strategy, interactivity is table stakes, every screen delivers measurable performance, and FAST is now essential. The opportunity is ready for those who seize it.
