What counts as DOOH
Digital out-of-home is any OOH placement delivered on a screen: digital billboards on roads, urban panels and kiosks, transit and airport screens, and the huge universe of place-based screens in gyms, elevators, gas stations, bars, offices, doctors' offices and stores (retail media).
In the U.S., DOOH accounted for about 36% of OOH revenue in 2025 and grew roughly 10% that year, according to OAAA — much faster than the medium overall. Globally, the World Out of Home Organization forecasts DOOH will reach about 49% of OOH spend in 2026, close to overtaking static for the first time.
DOOH formats
Digital billboards (roadside)
LED bulletins and posters on highways and arterials. Rotations of ~6–8 advertisers in 6–10 second spots.
- Large format with digital flexibility
- Daypart by commute
- Shared voice
- No video on most roadside boards
Urban panels, kiosks & street screens
Pedestrian-level digital screens on sidewalks, LinkNYC-style kiosks, bus shelters and newsstands.
- Eye-level, close to stores
- Hyper-local targeting
- Cluttered urban environments
Place-based screens
Indoor networks with a captive audience: gyms, elevators, office lobbies, gas pumps, bars, cinemas, pharmacies, physician waiting rooms, college campuses.
- Long dwell time allows video
- Precise audience by venue
- Fragmented; many small networks
Retail media screens
In-store screens run by retailers and their media networks, often tied to purchase data for closed-loop measurement.
- Closest to the sale
- Sales-lift measurement
- Endemic brands get priority
- Walled-garden reporting
Programmatic DOOH explained
Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) lets you buy screen time through a demand-side platform (DSP) using rules — audience, location, time, weather, budget — instead of signing individual contracts. Impressions are counted per ad play using audience-measurement data, and you pay on a CPM basis.
- Supply-side platforms (SSPs) such as Vistar Media, Place Exchange, Broadsign Reach, VIOOH and Hivestack aggregate screens from many media owners.
- OOH-specialist DSPs and marketplaces such as AdQuick, Vistar, StackAdapt, The Trade Desk, Viant and others let you plan and buy across networks, often alongside web and CTV.
- Deal types: open auction, private marketplace (PMP) and programmatic guaranteed.
Programmatic is still a small but fast-growing share: a 2026 WOO/PwC supply-side study put global programmatic DOOH at about $1.3 billion in 2025, roughly 7% of DOOH spend, with the U.S. the largest single market.
Dynamic creative & triggers
- Dayparting — coffee in the morning, dinner deals at 5 pm, nightlife after 9.
- Weather triggers — sunscreen when it's above 80°F, soup when it's cold, umbrellas when it rains.
- Live data — sports scores, countdowns, pollen counts, traffic times, inventory, prices.
- Location-specific copy — "Our store is 2 minutes from here."
- Audience triggers — play only when mobile-data audience indices are highest.
Typical specs
| Screen type | Common resolution | Spot length | Motion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadside digital bulletin | 1400×400 or 1920×540 (varies) | 8 sec | Static (usually required) |
| Digital poster | 840×400 (varies) | 8 sec | Static |
| Urban panel / kiosk | 1080×1920 portrait | 10–15 sec | Often allowed |
| Place-based / indoor | 1920×1080 | 15–30 sec | Video, sometimes audio |
Always request the vendor's spec sheet — resolutions, file types (JPG/PNG/MP4), max file size and approval lead times vary.
DOOH FAQ
Is DOOH more expensive than static?
Per month, a digital face usually costs 20–50% more than a comparable static face, but you share it with other advertisers and skip printing. On a CPM basis it is often comparable.
Can I run video on a highway billboard?
Generally no. Most states require roadside digital billboards to display static messages for a minimum interval (often 6–10 seconds). Indoor and pedestrian screens usually allow motion.
How fast can a DOOH campaign launch?
Programmatic campaigns can go live within a day or two once creative is approved. Direct buys typically need 1–3 weeks.
Recommended tools
Blip Billboards ↗
Self-serve digital billboards bought by the 'blip' — no contracts, small daily budgets. Referral credit + agency reseller program.
AdQuick ↗
Marketplace for static, digital and programmatic OOH across hundreds of media owners.
Some links are partner links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All tools
Price out your campaign
Plug in impressions, CPM and flight length to see a realistic budget.