# The attention economy has moved. Has your budget?

- URL: https://www.askattest.com/events/the-attention-economy-has-moved-has-your-budget
- Published: 2026-08-21
- Description: Most media plans are still built around reach: impressions, GRPs, subscriber counts. But Attest's 2026 media consumption research shows a widening gap between reach and real attention – and brands paying for the first while assuming they're getting the second are undoubtedly wasting budget. Join Attest for a fast-moving, evidence-led look at five findings that should change how you plan, buy and create for attention in 2026, followed by a fireside chat with Acast on why podcasts might be the exception to all of it.

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**Who should attend**

Insights, advertising, marketing and media planning professionals at consumer brands who want an evidence-based view of where attention is shifting in 2026, and where their current media plan might be getting it wrong, across both the US and UK.

**What you’ll learn**

- Why your TV budget might already be outdated, whether you’ve noticed or not
- Why the platform your brand safety team worries about most isn’t the one with the strongest hold on audiences
- Why paying for “reach” on TV doesn’t mean you’re getting attention, and what that’s actually costing you
- The exact point at which extra ad frequency stops working and starts actively annoying your audience
- Why cutting corners with AI-generated creative could be quietly costing you Gen Z
- Why podcasts might be the one channel not playing by these same rules, straight from Acast

**Speakers**

**Sam Killip – VP of Insights, Attest**
Guides the session, and leads the conversation with Acast.

**Nick White – Head of Strategic Research, Attest**
Walks through the five headline trends from Attest’s 2026 US and UK media consumption research.

**Tommy Walters – Senior Director, Global Research & Insights, Acast**
Joins for a dedicated fireside chat on what the report’s findings mean for podcasts specifically.