Global digital out-of-home (DOOH) media spending, including digital place-based networks and digital billboards & signage, grew at a decelerated rate of 12% in 2025, down from a 15.5% increase in 2024. Federal elections in 13 of the top 20 markets, as well as the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup will fuel a 15.3% gain in 2026, according to new research from leading media economist PQ Media.
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Global digital out-of-home (DOOH) media spending, including digital place-based networks and digital billboards & signage, grew at a decelerated rate of 12% in 2025, down from a 15.5% increase in 2024. Federal elections in 13 of the top 20 markets, as well as the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup will fuel a 15.3% gain in 2026, according to new research from leading media economist PQ Media.
DOOH media has become one of the fastest-growing media sectors in the world in 2026, rivaling other media platforms and channels, such as mobile media, streaming audio & video and influential marketing. The pandemic, which caused a 26.0% decline in 2020, is in the rear mirror, with global and US DOOH posting its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2025, according to PQ Media's Global Digital Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2026-2030.
Global digital place-based ad networks (DPNs) posted slightly stronger growth rates, rising 12.4% to $18.20 billion in 2025, compared with digital billboards & posters (DBBs) that increased 11.3% to $9.28 billion. Among the drivers of growth during the year was an increase in film releases that fueled growth in the cinema venue; brands embracing the concept of retail media propelling growth in the both DPN and DBB retail venues; musical acts expanding concert tour dates to fuel growth in sports & entertainment venues; and employees returning to corporate headquarters from home offices pushing growth in the roadside, transit and corporate & education venues, according to PQ Media. In 2026, the elections and international sporting events will drive a surge of growth in many of the same venues.
"Increasingly, brands and agencies are telling us that DOOH is an integral part of omni-media campaigns as it drives engagement near the point of decision, such as gas station and mall DPNs when one is shopping. Aiding that sentiment are DOOH operators using technology, like AI and programmatic buying, to help develop stronger messages, make national media buying easier, and to track results more efficiently to provide ROI metrics for their clients. It's become a convincing story that DOOH media has evolved to an extent that clearly indicates its positive impact on brand equity, company reputation and emotional connections with target consumers throughout the day," said PQ Media CEO & Founder Patrick Quinn.
Despite all the positive trends, the DOOH industry worldwide is concerned about the negative headwinds that have been caused by the global tariff battles and the Iran War that have caused inflation to rise once again. The Iran conflict has also caused the closing of the Hormuz Strait, which has led to significant supply-chain issues for operators attempting to expand DPN and DBB networks, meaning signage deliveries have been delayed and ordering new digital screens has become more expensive.
PQ Media's new research shows that nearly all key indicators and drivers of overall OOH and DOOH media growth are showing strong growth signals. Among these are the following:
- Consumers are shopping at brick-and-mortar stores again, as monthly foot traffic has risen in each of the last two years;
- People are taking mass transit again, with trains, subways, and buses reporting higher passenger counts;
- However, miles driven by car and flown in airplanes flattened for a short period in mid-2026 due to rising gas prices, but there is an anticipated increase during the summer vacation months and beyond;
- Movie theaters are reporting their highest admissions in 2026, although still lower than pre-pandemic 2019, with highest number of blockbusters in seven years;
- Attendance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy and FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada & Mexico has surpassed admissions at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China and FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with many official sponsors offering real-time stats and results via DOOH nets and signage.
China has become the largest OOH market in the world, reaching $16.65 billion in 2025, while Australia was the fastest growing, up 9.7% during the year. Fourteen of the 20 leading OOH markets with post double-digit growth in 2026, led primarily by the countries hosting the international sporting event. Australia also is the leading market in DOOH's share of overall OOH spending, where it accounted for 60.6% in 2025, one of four countries that exceeded a 50% share.
The United States is now the second largest overall OOH market at $14.64 billion in 2025, ranking 10th in growth at 6.2%, according to PQ Media. The largest venue categories were Cinema in DPNs, Roadside in both DBBs and Static BBs, and Foot Traffic in Ambient OOH. Transit was the fastest-growing venue category in all four OOH platforms – DPNs, DBBs, Static BBs and Ambient OOH.
Global consumer exposure (or time spent with) OOH rose 0.7% to 1.12 hours per week (HPW) in 2025, according to PQ Media. Consumer exposure to DOOH accounts for 40.6% of time spent engaged with OOH, growing 6.7% in 2025. Traditional OOH exposure fell 3%. Taiwan consumer exposure is the highest worldwide at 6.33 HPW, while Germany posted the fastest growth, up 3.8% in 2025. Netherlands leads in traditional OOH exposure, at 3.54 HPW, while Russia posted the fastest growth, up 1.1%. Australia leads in DOOH exposure and share of DOOH to overall OOH exposure at 3.40 HPW and a 73.3% share, while Germany registered the fastest DOOH exposure growth in 2025, rising 11.1%. The United States ranked 12th in total OOH exposure at 3.12 HPW in 2025, according to PQ Media's Global Digital Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2026-2030.
About the Forecast:
PQ Media's Global Digital Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2026-2030 is the 14th edition of the world's pre-eminent source of comprehensive, in-depth and actionable strategic intelligence providing exclusive industry data, drill-down market insights and five-year growth projections of DOOH and traditional OOH media revenues generated in 11 key indoor venues and outdoor locations in every leading market worldwide.
Site licenses to the new Forecast include both an in-depth PDF report with 398 slides of original data and analysis; and a deep-dive Excel databook featuring thousands of drill-down datasets and actionable datapoints for the most comprehensive coverage of the OOH media industry available.
To download a FREE Executive Summary, Table of Contents and Sample Datasets from the new Forecast, click: https://www.pqmedia.com/product/global-digital-out-of-home-media-forecast-2026-2030/
About PQ Media:
PQ Media delivers intelligent data and analysis to executives at the world's leading media, entertainment and technology organizations through syndicated market intelligence reports, custom drill-down market research and strategic advisory services. PQ Media uses a proprietary econometric methodology to define, segment, size and project the growth of more than 300 traditional, digital and alternative media by country, sector, platform, channel and consumer demographic.
Media Contact
Patrick Quinn, PQ Media, 1 203-921-5249, [email protected], https://www.pqmedia.com
Leo Kivijarv, PQ Media, 1 203-273-7081, [email protected], https://www.pqmedia.com
SOURCE PQ Media
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