WOO records high in OOH investment as DOOH captures bigger share

By Felicia Nwosu

Global spending on Out of Home (OOH) media reached an all-time high in 2024. It climbed to 46.2 billion US dollars, accounting for 4.8 percent of the total global advertising market. This new benchmark, which surpassed initial forecasts by one billion dollars, reflects the sector’s growing momentum, particularly through digital formats. It also sets the tone for continued expansion into 2025, where projections place total spend at 49.8 billion dollars.

The data comes from the latest global expenditure research conducted by the World Out of Home Organisation (WOO). This study, considered the most extensive of its kind, drew responses from 95 participants across 85 unique markets. Together, these markets represent 95 percent of global economic output and nearly four-fifths of the world’s population. Where data was unavailable, estimates were built using GDP and demographic similarities. However, regions such as Central Africa remain underreported due to limited formal economic tracking.

Regional Dominance and Digital Adoption

Asia-Pacific remains the global powerhouse for Out of Home media, contributing 49 percent of all spending in 2024. The region’s total reached 22.8 billion dollars, despite accounting for just 40 percent of global GDP. North America followed with 9.7 billion dollars, while Europe posted a close 9.5 billion. Latin America recorded 2.7 billion dollars and Africa 1.4 billion dollars, though experts believe actual spend across many African markets is higher than current data suggests.

Digital formats continued to shape the narrative. Digital Out of Home, often abbreviated as DOOH, grew to 17.9 billion dollars, nearly 39 percent of the total sector’s revenue. The pace of digital adoption varies by region. Asia-Pacific and Europe continue to lead, with digital formats comprising 41.6 percent and 40.8 percent of their Out of Home revenues respectively. North America follows at 34.4 percent, with Latin America at 31.1 percent and Africa at 24.4 percent.

Digital Transformation Drives Market Performance

Countries embracing digital transformation are setting new standards in market performance. Among the ten largest markets for Out of Home media, Australia leads with 74 percent of its revenues coming from digital screens. The United Kingdom follows at 66 percent. China and Brazil each reported 46 percent, with South Korea close behind at 44 percent. These nations provide a clear picture of how strong digital investment can unlock greater returns and faster market evolution.

Programmatic DOOH: The Future of Trading

The growing use of programmatic technology is also reshaping how digital inventory is traded. Programmatically delivered digital campaigns accounted for 1.7 billion dollars in global spend in 2024. This represents about 9.4 percent of the total DOOH market. However, due to inconsistent tracking across countries, this figure may underestimate actual volumes. Forecasts suggest that by 2025, programmatic DOOH will grow further to 2.2 billion dollars, representing 10.9 percent of the digital segment.

WOO’s Research and Industry Outlook

This data comes from details released by the World Out of Home Organisation in its 2025 Global Expenditure Survey, shared on its website recently. The organization credits the breadth and accuracy of this study to the active participation of its members worldwide. The full dataset, covering trends from 2019 to projected figures for 2025, along with deeper regional insights, is made available exclusively to contributing members through the organization’s digital platform.