OOH Is Winning Ad Dollars, But There’s Still More To Gain
OOH advertising is having a moment. New data from the OAAA found that US OOH revenue reached a record $3.16B in Q2 2026, up 10.7% year-over-year. And, according to a report from the World Out of Home Organization, global OOH revenue is projected to reach $56B this year, a 56% increase from 2019.
Advertiser demand for OOH is clearly there, but there’s another number worth paying attention to. Despite its growth, OOH’s share of total media spending is projected to sit at 5.1%, still below its 5.8% pre-pandemic peak.
Advertisers are embracing OOH, but there is still room for growth to capture a greater share of the media mix. The question is: what will it take to get there?
The next phase of OOH growth will come from building on this momentum by making it easier for advertisers to buy, understand and measure it.
From Digital to Intelligent
OOH is delivering results, but the industry needs to do a better job of demonstrating them. In Q2, 73% of the top 100 OOH advertisers increased their spend, according to the OAAA. This is backed by strong performance. Research from Clear Channel Outdoor and Kantar found that OOH outperformed digital and CTV across key brand metrics, including purchase intent and brand favorability. There is a disconnect. Marketers just aren’t seeing the OOH performance clearly.
Digitization has created a strong foundation for gaining that intelligence. According to the OAAA, DOOH now represents 38.4% of OOH’s quarterly US revenue. Further, 65% of US marketers and agency executives say digital billboards are the OOH format that best supports connected-commerce goals.
But digitization alone isn’t the full story. OOH is already becoming more intelligent, pairing digital inventory with audience, location and contextual data to give advertisers a clearer picture of who they’re reaching, where they’re reaching them and what that exposure ultimately delivers. The opportunity now is to build on that progress and make OOH’s impact even easier for marketers to see and act on.
The first evolution of OOH was from static to digital. Now, the industry is moving from digital to intelligence.
What’s Holding OOH Back?
As the data shows, it’s not for lack of interest. Our recent survey found that the biggest barrier to greater OOH investment is limited data quality, followed by complexity of execution, lack of internal expertise and lack of standardized measurement. Each of these barriers add friction, making OOH feel more complicated to invest in compared to other channels.
Removing that friction directly translates to greater investment. 68% of marketers said they would increase their OOH budgets if a single, neutral third-party verified impressions and audience data. This underscores the importance of trust and consistency. With a clearer, more unified view of OOH, marketers who already want to spend more are inclined to actually invest.
There’s Still More to Win
The current trajectory of OOH provides plenty of room for optimism. Revenue is reaching new highs, advertiser demand remains strong and digital formats continue to expand. But, its share of the overall media market signals just how much opportunity remains.
Capturing this opportunity requires an industry that is easier to navigate and better equipped to demonstrate outcomes. This is the opportunity Accretive is focused on. By building the infrastructure to bring greater clarity to OOH’s value, advertisers gain greater confidence about where and how they invest.
OOH is already winning more dollars. Now it’s time to turn that momentum into a greater share of the media mix.
