In-house media moves from experiment to default as brands double down

In-house media has moved from trial phase to business-as-usual for Australian and New Zealand brands, with new research showing confidence in the model is now firmly entrenched.

A new report from the In-House Agency Council (IHAC) and consultancy -lution finds 86% of brands say their in-house media rates now match or beat external agency rates, removing one of the longest-standing barriers to bringing media operations closer to home.

The report, Owning the Advantage: In-House Media’s Path from Pilot to Powerhouse, also shows 61% of brands plan to scale their in-house media teams over the next 12 months, signalling that in-housing is no longer viewed as a tactical experiment, but a strategic operating model.

Based on three years of data across Australia and New Zealand, the research shows in-house teams now manage around 60% of total media budgets, a figure that has remained consistent since 2023. Importantly, this has not triggered a mass exit from agencies. Eighty-four percent of respondents still work with at least one external partner, reinforcing the dominance of hybrid models rather than a swing back to full outsourcing.

Mike Worden (pictured), partner and chief media officer at -lution and chair of the IHAC Media Strategic Group, said cost is no longer the primary driver behind in-housing decisions.

“For years, agency pricing was the main reason brands hesitated to bring media in-house,” Worden said. “But with 86% of brands now reporting their in-house teams match or beat agency rates, that argument no longer holds. Growth is now being driven by speed, accountability and the ability to turn insight into action without friction.”

Capability investment is also accelerating. Forty-five percent of in-house teams have already invested in new digital campaign optimisation tools, with a further 20% planning to do so, while interest in attention measurement and audience consumption tools rose 11% year-on-year.

The findings suggest in-house media is entering a more mature phase, with brands refining and professionalising their models rather than cycling in and out of them.

“The most important signal isn’t just that in-housing works,” Worden said. “It’s that it’s stabilising. Teams aren’t yo-yoing between models anymore. They’re compounding advantage over time.”

The research draws on responses from 30 senior brand-side marketing leaders, covering media investments ranging from under $1 million to more than $100 million annually.