Digital billboards to power USD $54.6bn OOH boom
Global out-of-home advertising spend is set to reach USD $54.6 billion in 2025, with digital out-of-home accounting for about two-fifths of the market, according to an analysis citing WPP data.
The analysis places global advertising spend across channels at USD $1.14 trillion in 2025. It says OOH growth runs in parallel with a wider shift towards digital media.
On the OOH side, the analysis says DOOH continues to increase its share of spend as more inventory shifts from static formats to digital screens. It estimates DOOH at 39% to 42% of the OOH market, compared with 36.9% in 2024. It also cites annual DOOH growth of 10% to 12%.
The figures indicate a market where digital screens play a larger role in media planning. They also indicate a push by operators and buyers towards tools that provide more flexible buying and more granular measurement.
Programmematic buying
The analysis indicates real-time programmatic transactions in DOOH are approaching USD 2.2 billion. It describes this as 10.9% of total DOOH spend.
It also points to the use of demand-side and supply-side platforms in OOH buying. It describes the process as location-based advertising that can run in real time.
Programmematic OOH has expanded in recent years, driven by improvements in digital inventory management and increasing comfort among buyers with automated trading. The latest estimate suggests there is room for growth, given the share of DOOH that still trades through traditional channels.
Technology stack
The analysis links the shift towards DOOH with a set of technologies now associated with digital screens. It points to AI-driven content customisation. It cites examples such as weather-triggered creative.
It also highlights retail media networks as an adjacent trend. It projects retail media networks will grow 55.9% by 2029.
The analysis describes a broader set of measurement and engagement tools used with DOOH. It lists QR codes, connected TV integration, AR interfaces, and smart city technology. It also references "precise audience measurement, visit lift, retargeting, QR code tracking, geofencing, facial recognition analytics, footfall attribution, beacon proximity detection, and AI-driven conversion lift".
The mix of tools reflects how media owners and buyers pitch DOOH within wider omnichannel plans. Many of the methods mirror techniques used in online advertising, even when applied in physical locations and public spaces.
Regional patterns
The analysis singles out the United States as a major contributor to spending. It says US DOOH spend is approaching USD $4.4 billion. It also refers to strong expansion in the Asia-Pacific.
The regional split matters for international buyers and for operators managing networks across multiple markets. It also shapes the pace at which programmatic buying and measurement tools become standard practice.
Market messaging
Giulio Gargiullo, Digital Marketing Consultant and Trends Analyst, framed the change as a shift from traditional formats to digitised inventory.
"We're witnessing a decisive shift right before our eyes-from paper posters to dynamic digital billboards. Not just on Times Square, but in every square, street, airport, train station, and shopping mall, advertising evolves into tech-powered screens featuring weather-adaptive creatives, precise audience measurement, visit lift, retargeting, QR code tracking, geofencing, facial recognition analytics, footfall attribution, beacon proximity detection, and AI-driven conversion lift-turning OOH into a fully measurable, hyper-connected medium like never before. The OOH boom to $54.6 billion in 2025 represents an epic opportunity for global brands: harness programmatic AI and retail media to craft hyper-local, sustainable campaigns that turn city screens into omnichannel lead generators, delivering ROI that outpaces traditional media every time."
The figures underline how DOOH sits at the intersection of brand advertising and performance-style measurement. They also show how the category continues to attract investment as operators refresh inventory and buyers demand more data.
Media owners are likely to keep expanding screen networks in transport, retail, and city-centre locations as spend shifts further towards DOOH and as programmatic trading makes a larger share of DOOH budgets accessible through automated buying.