OOHGuide

What Is DOOH? Digital Out-of-Home Advertising Explained

Updated 2026-10-07

DOOH, short for digital out-of-home, is advertising shown on digital screens in public places: digital billboards along roads, screens in train stations and airports, and displays in places like gyms, gas stations, malls and elevators.

It is the fastest-growing part of out-of-home advertising. DOOH made up 36.3% of US out-of-home revenue in 2025 and grew 10.5% year over year, according to the OAAA.

How DOOH differs from traditional OOH

Traditional OOH DOOH
Display Printed vinyl or paper LED or LCD screen
Advertisers per face One at a time Several, rotating in a loop
Changing creative New print and install Upload a new file
Scheduling Weeks or months Can target hours or days
Buying Direct from the operator Direct or programmatic
Production cost Printing and installation Usually none

Because several advertisers share a screen, each ad typically shows for a few seconds at a time (often 6 to 8 seconds on roadside screens) before the next one plays (Blindspot).

Types of DOOH

  • Digital billboards: large roadside LED screens, often the same 14' x 48' size as a static bulletin. See how much a digital billboard costs.
  • Digital transit: screens in subway and train stations, bus shelters and on vehicles.
  • Airport screens: digital networks in terminals and at baggage claim. See airport advertising costs.
  • Place-based screens: in gyms, bars, grocery stores, gas station pumps, elevators, doctors' offices and college campuses.
  • Spectaculars: giant digital displays in places like Times Square and the Las Vegas Strip.

How DOOH is bought

There are two main ways.

1. Directly from the operator

You contact the company that owns the screens, pick locations, and agree on a price for a set share of the loop over a set period. This is how most local businesses buy digital billboards, and it is often the simplest route. In the OOHGuide directory, 298 operators run at least one digital billboard face; find them through our city guides.

2. Programmatically

Programmatic DOOH (often written pDOOH) uses ad tech software to buy screen time automatically, much like online display ads. A buyer sets an audience, budget, locations and schedule in a demand-side platform (DSP), and the system plays the ad on matching screens.

Common deal types include:

  • Open exchange: real-time auctions for available inventory
  • Private marketplace: invitation-only auctions with negotiated price floors
  • Programmatic guaranteed: fixed price, reserved inventory, bought through software

Major platforms include Vistar Media, Broadsign and Place Exchange; Broadsign acquired Place Exchange in November 2025, creating a combined platform with access to about 1.8 million programmatically transactable screens (invidis). Large DSPs such as Google's Display & Video 360 also support DOOH buying.

Programmatic is most useful for multi-market campaigns, audience targeting and short flights. For a single business in one town, buying directly from a local operator is usually simpler and gives you more control over locations.

How much does DOOH cost?

DOOH is usually priced in one of two ways:

  • Flat rate for a share of the loop over a period. Digital billboards run roughly $770 to $20,000 a month depending on market (Business.com).
  • CPM (cost per thousand impressions), common for programmatic buys. Business.com cites typical digital CPMs of $6 to $10 in standard markets and $15 to $25 in marquee locations.

For an estimate by market size, use the billboard cost calculator and choose "Digital billboard."

Why advertisers use DOOH

  • Flexibility. Change your message any time, run different ads by time of day, or react to weather, events and sports scores.
  • No production costs. No vinyl to print or install.
  • Lower entry price. Sharing a screen often costs less than a full static board.
  • Targeting. Buy only the hours or audiences you care about.
  • Measurement. Programmatic buys often come with impression reporting and can be tied to mobile location data for attribution studies.

DOOH design tips

  • Design to the exact pixel dimensions of each screen.
  • Keep the message to a single glance: seven words or fewer, big type, high contrast.
  • Avoid white backgrounds on roadside screens, which can glare at night.
  • Check whether motion is allowed. Most roadside digital billboards only allow static images because of traffic safety rules.

More in our billboard design tips.

Frequently asked questions

What does DOOH stand for?

DOOH stands for digital out-of-home, meaning advertising on digital screens in public places.

What is the difference between OOH and DOOH?

OOH covers all advertising seen outside the home, printed and digital. DOOH is the digital part: screens that rotate several advertisers and can change content remotely.

What is programmatic DOOH?

Programmatic DOOH is buying digital out-of-home screen time automatically through ad tech platforms, using audience, location and schedule targeting instead of manual contracts.

How much does DOOH advertising cost?

Digital billboards run roughly $770 to $20,000 a month depending on the market, and programmatic DOOH is often priced at CPMs of about $6 to $10 in standard markets.

Get started with digital out-of-home

Learn more about out-of-home advertising, compare digital operators in your city, or request quotes for digital billboards near you.

Sources

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