After decelerating slightly in 2025,
digital out-of-home (DOOH) ad spending is poised to reaccelerate this year due to a variety of factors including a boom in cinema attendance and media buys, according to the 2026 edition of PQ Media's
Global Digital Out-of-Home Forecast.
U.S. DOOH ad-spending growth, which dipped to 11.3% in 2025, is projected to rise 15.4% this year. Global DOOH ad-spending growth, which fell to 12.0% in
2025, is expected to expand 15.3% this year.
"Increasingly, brands and agencies are telling us that DOOH is an integral part of omnimedia campaigns as it drives engagement near the point of
decision, such as gas station and mall [digital place-based networks] when one is shopping," notes PQ Media CEO and Founder Patrick Quinn, adding that an expansion of DOOH operators using new
technology such as AI and programmatic buying is making the medium more compelling to advertisers and agencies.
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"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," Quinn states.
Among the drivers fueling DOOH
ad-spending growth are:
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:
Increased mass transit passenger counts for trains, subways, and bus travel.
Increased movie theater attendance, including the most blockbuster films in seven years.
Attendance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy and FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and 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.
One countervailing data point cited in PQ's
report is the fact that miles driven by car and flown in airplanes has flattened due to rising fuel costs.