Total revenue in UK OOH grew 7.7% in 2024 to reach £1.4bn — the sector’s highest-ever year.
Figures from OOH trade body Outsmart and PwC found growth was primarily driven by digital OOH (DOOH), which grew 10.2%.
Traditional OOH grew 3% last year in comparison. This means DOOH now accounts for two-thirds (66%) of all OOH revenue in the UK.
“2024 was a real milestone for OOH and we celebrate our best year,” said Outsmart chair Justin Cochrane. “Brands continue to recognise that, for broadcast strategies, OOH plays a vital role by offering unrivalled reach, creative dynamism and real-time targeting.”
However, Outsmart found that Q4 revenue was “impacted by some uncertainty”, including a decline in consumer confidence around Labour’s October budget.
In Q4, there was a 2.2% decline in overall revenue to £387.3m. This was echoed in the latest IPA Bellwether Report, which found that a net balance of -12.8% of marketers reduced spend in Q4.
Outsmart warned that such declining consumer confidence “may continue into early 2025”, suggesting more measured expectations for the early part of the year.
Indeed, in the latest Advertising Association and Warc Expenditure Report, OOH growth in 2025 is forecast to slow to 7.2%, a downward revision of 1.7 percentage points from October, compared with growth of 10.3% in 2024.
This year is expected to be one of change in the sector, with Bauer Media announcing its plan to acquire Clear Channel’s UK business. JCDecaux also recently announced it is investing in doubling its inventory in London.
Meanwhile, in January OOH joint industry currency Route appointed Ipsos and The Media Leader parent Adwanted UK to collect and process audience data. It will include building a new synthetic dataset that will be 82 times bigger than the current dataset.
