OOH adspend continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels in the UK, finds AA/Warc Expenditure Report
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Out-of-home (OOH) adspend exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the second year running in the UK, according to figures from AA/Warc’s Expenditure Report.
The findings, released last month, show OOH grew 2.3% year-on-year in 2025 to reach £1.4bn, surpassing the channel’s pre-pandemic high of £1.3bn in 2019.
Digital OOH accounted for £954.6m of the sector’s adspend in 2025, representing 3% year-on-year growth. This means digital now accounts for 67% of total OOH adspend, up from 53% in 2019, when digital drove £694m.
The growing adoption of digital OOH has been driven in part by the rise of programmatic buying, which allows campaigns to react more dynamically to factors such as time of day. Advertisers are also increasingly using dynamic creative optimisation (DCO), enabling creative to adapt to different audiences and environments.
The channel’s steady growth is expected to continue in 2026, with AA/Warc forecasting OOH adspend will rise a further 3.1% year-on-year. Digital OOH is projected to grow even faster, with adspend forecast to increase by an additional 4.5%.
LHF restrictions impact
Since the pandemic, the mix of categories spending in OOH has been shifting. Analysis from OOH trade body Outsmart, which examined advertising spend between 2021 and 2025, found that food became the second-largest spending category last year, accounting for 14.6% of total OOH spend. Entertainment and leisure remained the sector’s biggest spender at 26.1%.
In 2021, food accounted for 9.5% of OOH spend, behind drink at 10.7%. By 2025, drink’s share had fallen to 8.1%.
Outsmart’s food category includes both less-healthy food (LHF) and high-fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) advertising, as well as non-HFSS/LHF food brands.
Tommy Gleadell, planning director and head of OOH at the7stars, believes this growth in the food sector could be attributed to anticipation of LHF restrictions that came into force in January 2026.
He says: “As restrictions across TV and digital became more widely discussed, OOH became an increasingly attractive channel due to its ability to deliver broad reach and fame at scale.
“At the same time, innovations within OOH, including programmatic OOH and dynamic creative optimisation, have given brands more opportunities to improve the effectiveness of their investment.”
According to Gleadell, despite the restrictions, HFSS and LHF brands can still achieve up to 92% reach.
He adds: “Brands who are investing in OOH at a significant level are increasingly considering longer-term laydowns, allowing them to secure the best possible inventory in advance.”
Looking ahead, Gleadell expects this growth in the OOH channel within LHF brands to continue.
He says: “In Q1 2026, HFSS-friendly inventory tracked approximately 17% ahead of the wider market and sold around twice as quickly as it did during Q1 2025.
“This highlights the increased demand for compliant inventory and the importance of planning ahead, particularly as competition for the most sought-after inventory continues to grow.”