Digital Out of Home Advertising

DOOH advertising questions

Fourteen questions, one paragraph each, numbers cited. Each links to the page that goes deeper.

How much does digital out of home advertising cost?

Digital billboard CPMs run $5-$18 in most US markets, $20-$25 for premium units, and 4-week digital flights run $3,500-$25,000, small markets under $1,000 (AdQuick, 2026). Per-play self-serve starts at Blip's published $0.01 floor.

Full cost answer

What is the minimum spend?

Blip publishes no minimum and a $0.01/play floor; Adomni publishes no minimum budget for nearly all inventory; Blindspot lists campaigns from $50. Direct buys from major owners are quote-only and practically start in the thousands per unit per 4 weeks.

Minimums by route

Is billboard advertising effective?

OAAA-commissioned studies support brand outcomes (awareness, recall), and the industry grew to a record $9.46B in 2025, up 3.6%. Direct-response attribution is the weak spot; treat footfall and lift studies as directional, not closed-loop.

The evidence

How are DOOH impressions measured?

In the US the currency is Geopath: audited audience estimates from location data, circulation and visibility research. One DOOH impression is an estimated exposure opportunity, not a viewable one-to-one online impression.

Measurement explained

What are the creative specs?

Roadside bulletins are 14:48 proportion, spectaculars commonly 16:9, transit and street panels often 9:16 portrait. Exact pixel dimensions vary by owner and unit; pull the owner's published spec sheet (Lamar and OUTFRONT both publish them) before design starts.

Spec details

How do I buy DOOH?

Three routes: direct from media owners (quote-only rate cards, 4-week flights), self-serve marketplaces (Blip, Adomni, AdQuick with published entry points), or programmatic through a DSP and SSP (fees quote-only). Budget size usually picks the route for you.

Where to buy

Digital or static billboard?

Digital sells a share of a rotating loop; static sells the whole face. AdQuick publishes $3,500-$25,000 per 4-week digital flight, while Blip's published comparison anchor puts traditional 4-week leases at a $3,953 national average ($250 rural to $100k+ premium).

The comparison

How much is a Times Square billboard?

Landmark 4-week leases are quote-only. The one published transactable figure we can cite: about $40 per play through Blindspot's self-serve route, against a ~$0.52 global median play price on the same platform.

Spectacular rates

Are billboard rates negotiable?

Direct rate cards are asks, not clearing prices. Published self-serve floors (Blip's $0.01/play auction) are real transactable prices; everything quoted by a rep has room, especially off-peak and near flight start dates when loops sit unsold.

Negotiation levers

How big is programmatic DOOH?

eMarketer forecasts US pDOOH spend at $1.22B for 2026, up 22.6%, about 30% of DOOH category revenue. The 65% figure you see in decks is a 2029 projection, not a 2026 actual.

pDOOH mechanics

How big is DOOH overall?

US OOH revenue hit a record $9.46B in 2025, up 3.6%, with digital at 36.3% of revenue and growing 10.5% (OAAA). UK OOH hit £1.44bn with digital at 67% of revenue (Outsmart).

The stat sheet

What formats count as DOOH?

Roadside digital billboards, transit screens, street furniture, place-based venue networks (gyms, bars, elevators, pharmacies), in-store retail media screens, airport digital and landmark spectaculars. CPM bands differ more by market tier than by format.

Format taxonomy

Which market tier gives the most impressions per dollar?

Small markets. AdQuick publishes 4-week digital flights under $1,000 (Evansville from ~$900) against $3,500-$25,000 in larger markets. You trade volume and audience density for the lower rate; the math is in the planner.

Small-market economics

Can I trust the numbers on this site?

Check them. Every figure links to a proof-of-play register entry with the source URL, publisher, vintage and the date we checked it. Where no figure is published we say quote-only rather than inventing one.

The register