Out-of-Home Ad Spend Hits $9.33 Billion as Digital Drives Growth

US out-of-home (OOH) advertising spend reached a record $9.33 billion in last year, according to data from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) and Magna. This marks a 1.7% increase over the previous year. The growth was largely driven by the rapid expansion of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, which accounted for 33.6% of total OOH spend.

Transit advertising, including placements on buses, subways, and in airports, remained the largest segment, capturing 38.4% of total OOH spending. Billboard advertising followed, making up 31.6%. Place-based media ads placed in locations like gyms, bars, and elevators represented 17.2%, while street furniture such as bus shelters and kiosks made up the remaining 12.7%.

Cinema advertising saw a major rebound, increasing 27.3% year over year as audiences returned to theaters. Retail and travel-related OOH channels also benefited from post-pandemic consumer behavior shifts, with spending in these areas climbing 11.1% and 8.8%, respectively.

Digital formats continue to reshape how advertisers use OOH. The flexibility of DOOH offering dynamic creative, better targeting, and real-time updates has made it especially attractive for marketers. Programmatic buying is gaining traction, with projections from eMarketer forecasting that nearly 17% of US DOOH ad spend will be bought programmatically by 2025.

While OOH still represents a small slice of total US ad spend, its growth outpaces several other traditional media channels. The blend of physical presence and digital innovation is helping OOH maintain relevance in an increasingly screen-dominated ad landscape.