Shanghai unveils policies to boost digital advertising industry

​[Photo/IC]

Shanghai unveiled a policy package to promote the high-quality development of the digital advertising industry at the 2026 "Invest Shanghai" Advertising Industry Promotion Conference on March 18.

The package introduces 41 measures, covering financial support, tax and fee reductions, talent incentives, and technological innovation.

Shanghai is the first city in China to establish a support fund exceeding 100 million yuan for the advertising sector. Since its launch, the fund has backed 45 high-quality projects, allocating a total of 98.85 million yuan, with the largest single grant reaching 12 million yuan.

In 2025, Shanghai's advertising industry generated a record 400 billion yuan in revenue, up 12.8 percent year-on-year. Digital advertising accounted for 85 percent of the total.

By the end of 2025, Shanghai had more than 1,000 major advertising enterprises, including five firms valued at over 10 billion yuan and more than 300 companies valued at over 100 million yuan.

The city's 16 advertising industry parks attracted nearly 4,000 advertising and related enterprises, establishing an incubation platform that covers the entire industrial chain.

Aiming to become an international digital advertising hub, Shanghai has rolled out the country's first package of 12 measures supporting AI-enabled innovation and development in advertising, providing full-chain support spanning technology R&D, application scenarios, talent development, and financial empowerment.

In 2025, 34 AI-related advertising projects received support, covering cutting-edge areas such as intelligent agents for advertising creativity, precision algorithm-based ad delivery, and virtual digital human applications.

Currently, 17 universities in Shanghai offer 21 advertising-related majors, with the city's advertising creative design professionals accounting for 22 percent of the national total.