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Lessons from Cannes Lions 2026: Agentic Buying Becomes Table Stakes as Power Reprices Around Data

Roger Beharry Lall — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective discusses Cannes Lions 2026, which was less an awards show than a map of where power in advertising is moving:

In the nine days around the festival, at least eight platforms shipped autonomous buying, coordination, or measurement infrastructure, turning agentic adtech from a talking point into a baseline expectation,
The real contest now is over who controls the data and measurement beneath the agents.
The holding company era is evolving, with the majors racing to build agentic capabilities of their own even as advantage shifts toward whoever controls governed data.
OpenAI made its debut as an advertising business, pitching ChatGPT as a third gatekeeper — a clear case of capability arriving ahead of the measurement to prove it.
Commerce moved closer to the point of sale as retail media and connected TV converged.

Beneath it all ran a more sober mood, with entries down about a quarter under integrity rules tightened after last year’s AI scandals, and an ongoing gap between what the new tools can do and the measurement needed to trust them.

“Cannes 2026 was the year the industry stopped asking what AI could do and started asking whether it worked. Agentic adtech became the baseline, and power moved to whoever controls accountable data and measurement, but the trophies still went to human hands. The machines will run the pipes; taste, judgment, and nerve remain the job.” — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications at IDC

The Need for Enterprise Governance in an Era of Walled Garden Adtech Uncertainty

Roger Beharry Lall — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective discusses the need for enterprise governance in an era of walled garden adtech uncertainty. Enterprise dependence on dominant advertising platforms now exposes organizations to unprecedented legal, regulatory, and operational risk. Governance tools exist, including independent measurement, consent management, and media diversification, but the critical gap is organizational intent and oversight. As AI-driven automation accelerates, enterprises must embed platform governance into technology, legal, and risk frameworks now, building resilience before regulatory and market shifts force a reactive response.

"When advertising platforms become critical infrastructure, the real risk isn't technology; it's governance. As AI and regulatory pressure reshape the landscape, the question for enterprises is no longer if disruption will come, but whether their governance is ready before it does." — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies, IDC

T-Mobile's 2Q26 Earnings: "Shake It Off" — Revenue Strength Allays Account Net Add Softness; 5G Broadband and Fiber Continue Charging Ahead

Jason Leigh — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

T-Mobile reported 2Q26 results on July 23, 2026, with total revenue increasing 8% YoY to $22.8 billion in the second quarter. That result slightly missed Wall Street consensus estimates of $22.9 billion. However, with net income of $3.2 billion, earnings per share (EPS) came in at $2.99, well above adjusted EPS estimates of $2.58–2.59. Total service revenue increased 9% YoY to $19.0 billion, while postpaid service revenue grew by 13% YoY to $15.9 billion. Net income reached $3.2 billion despite UScellular merger-related costs during the quarter. T-Mobile also increased its full-year cash flow outlook, reflecting continued confidence in the underlying performance of the business.

Verizon 2Q26 Earnings: Strong Subscriber Growth, Broadband Momentum, and Lower Churn Drive Improved Outlook

Jitesh Bhayani — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Verizon announced its 2Q26 financial results on July 24, 2026, reporting total operating revenue of $34.3 billion, a 0.7% year-over-year decline. The decline was driven entirely by lower equipment revenue, which fell nearly 20% year over year, reflecting longer device replacement cycles and Verizon's reduced reliance on subsidy-driven customer acquisition. In contrast, mobility and broadband service revenue increased 2.8% to approximately $23.4 billion, while total service revenue and other revenue grew 3.5% to $29.2 billion. The continued shift toward service-led growth and lower equipment dependence reflects Verizon's strategy to improve customer economics and reduce reliance on promotional activity. Supported by strong operational execution and improving customer trends, the company raised its full-year 2026 guidance for the second consecutive quarter.

AT&T 2Q26 Results: Accelerating Growth, Record Convergence, and Capital Discipline

Jitesh Bhayani — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

AT&T reported second-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue of $31.6 billion, up 2.3% year over year (YoY); adjusted EPS of $0.65, up 20.4%; and adjusted EBITDA of $12.3 billion, up 5.2%, for an adjusted EBITDA margin of 39.1%. The company added more than 1 million Advanced Connectivity customers across fiber, fixed wireless, and postpaid phone in a record quarter for combined fiber and fixed wireless net adds and accelerated its planned 2026 share repurchases to approximately $10 billion.

Market Forecast: Worldwide Creative Applications Forecast, 2026–2030

Roger Beharry Lall — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation provides revenue projections by deployment model and geography through 2030. The worldwide creative applications market is projected to reach $39.1 billion by 2030, expanding from $22.0 billion in 2025, at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 12.2%. Generative AI, content supply chain modernization, and the growing requirement for machine-readable content are among the structural forces driving that trajectory.

“Nearly $40.0 billion by 2030 reflects something more fundamental than a software adoption curve. Creative work is being rebuilt around AI, and organizations investing in governed, connected content infrastructure today are laying the foundation for a real competitive advantage in the future.” — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications

Market Share: Worldwide Creative Applications Shares, 2025

Roger Beharry Lall — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation provides a detailed breakdown of vendor revenue, share, and growth across the creative applications market in 2025. The worldwide creative applications market reached $22.0 billion in 2025, growing 17.2% as generative AI accelerated content production economics and expanded the buyer base well beyond traditional creative departments. The market remains highly concentrated at the top, yet competitive dynamics below that tier are shifting, with several challengers posting growth rates well above the market average on the strength of accessible, AI-native platforms.

“Generative AI is restructuring the underlying economics of content production in this market, and today’s share rankings still reflect yesterday’s workflows. Established vendors have earned their positions and are not going anywhere, but the next wave of growth will be contested at the margins by a new generation of vendors rewriting the rules of creative production.” — Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC

European Telcos’ ICT Offering to SMB: Cybersecurity and Cloud Collaboration at the Core

Daniela Rao — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective focuses on European telcos’ cybersecurity and cloud collaboration propositions for SMBs as the most relevant components of their IT services portfolio, alongside connectivity and device offerings.

“Telcos’ success in the SMB market depends on their ability to shift from complex, fragmented tools to automated and managed capabilities delivered as an invisible, native communication service, together with support services helping them assess their digital needs and adopt the most suitable solution,” said Daniela Rao, senior research and consulting director, IDC Telecom and UC Global Team.

Market Forecast: U.S. SMB Communications Services Forecast, 2026–2030

Daniela Rao — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation analyzes and forecasts the revenue for the U.S. small and medium-sized business (SMB) communications services market. The presentation provides IDC's definitions of SMB and telecom voice and data categories, and it presents a detailed forecast, beginning in 2025 and extending through 2030.

"Small and medium-sized businesses understand the necessity to invest in technologies and services that address their operational challenges, but they will continue to have limited resources. Telcos targeting SMBs should design new value-creating propositions rooted in their networks, ecosystems, AI, and analytics capabilities to address the pricing challenges with services geared to remove friction between SMBs' daily operations and digital transformation road map." — Daniela Rao, senior research and consulting director, Worldwide Telecom and UC, IDC

Market Share: U.S. SMB Wireline Voice and Data Shares, 2025

Daniela Rao — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation provides vendor market shares for the U.S. small and medium-sized business (SMB) wireline voice and data market for 2025.

Small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly recognizing the need to invest in connectivity to improve operations and strengthen their customer engagement. However, since SMB customers have needs that vary significantly by industry, size, and region, it will remain challenging for telco to reach and retain them with standardized offerings at competitive, affordable prices. In addition, SMBs need personalized support and training because they lack internal skills or resources to identify and implement digital services and solutions to achieve their desired outcomes in terms of efficiency, productivity, and customer experience. Telcos understand that attracting and retaining SMB customers requires redesigning their portfolios to better meet SMBs' demand for simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use: convergent packages better oriented to these requirements will be the next telco battleground to successfully address this market.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of investing in connectivity to improve operations and strengthen their customer engagement. However, since SMB customers have needs that vary significantly by industry, size, and region, it will remain challenging for telco to reach and retain them with standardized offerings at competitive and affordable prices." — Daniela Rao, senior research and consulting director, Worldwide Telecom and UC