GCC Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising Market

GCC Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising Market Size and Share:               

The GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market size was valued at USD 1.70 Billion in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group estimates the market to reach USD 6.31 Billion by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.20% from 2025-2033. The market is experiencing strong growth, driven by rapid urbanization, government-led smart city projects, high consumer spending, technological advancements, such as programmatic advertising, the expansion of retail and entertainment sectors, with a focus on digital transformation enhancing audience targeting and engagement across premium, high-traffic locations in the region. 

The GCC market is primarily driven by the integration of mobile technology with OOH advertising that provides the ability to deliver dynamic content through real-time data. Geofencing and GPS tracking techniques ensure that ads are contextually relevant, enhancing their effectiveness. Moreover, updated regulations and guidelines are fueling growth in the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market. Modernized standards maximize the use of advertising spaces while promoting sustainability, innovation, and compliance. This organized framework appeals to advertisers by providing clarity, efficiency, and avenues for impactful campaigns in urban areas. For instance, Dubai's roads and transport authority (RTA) released an updated out-of-home (OOH) advertising manual on August 15, 2024, to enhance regulations and standards for GCC OOH advertising. The manual introduces modernized guidelines, promoting innovation, sustainability, and better utilization of advertising spaces across the city, benefiting advertisers and urban aesthetics.              

Furthermore, rapid urbanization within the GCC region, and investments in smart cities, have introduced new avenues for OOH advertising. Brands are increasingly adopting digital OOH campaigns, contributing to market growth in the GCC. Utilizing advanced technology, digital campaigns offer dynamic, visually appealing content that boosts brand visibility and audience interaction. These interactive displays are becoming essential in the advertising strategies of consumer-focused businesses. For example, Ziedas launched a new digital out-of-home (OOH) campaign in Dubai on December 16, 2024, showcasing its beauty products across prominent digital displays. This initiative enhances brand visibility in the GCC OOH advertising market, leveraging innovative technology to engage audiences and strengthen its presence in the region's beauty sector.

GCC Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising Market Trends:

Modernization of Advertising Channels in the GCC Region                      

The rise of digital out-of-home (OOH) advertising is transforming the market in the GCC region. Brands are adopting advanced digital displays to more effectively target their audiences, moving away from traditional formats to dynamic, data-driven campaigns. Flyby launched its digital out-of-home (OOH) advertising services in Abu Dhabi, enhancing the GCC OOH Advertising landscape. The platform secured its first brands, marking a strategic expansion in the region. This development, reported on November 12, 2024, aims to modernize audience engagement through innovative digital displays. Innovative technologies, such as programmatic advertising and interactive screens are escalating audience engagement and the effectiveness of campaigns. This shift is in line with the region's focus on developing smart cities and digital infrastructure, making OOH advertising a compelling choice for businesses.

Growth of Programmatic Digital OOH Advertising      

Programmatic DOOH advertising is one of the major drivers of growth in the GCC OOH advertising market, as it accelerates the growth in this space. This technology enables automated ad buying, thus allowing advertisers to target and deliver data-driven campaigns more precisely and efficiently. For instance, Back lite media partnered with VIOOH on October 22, 2024, to expand programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising in the GCC market. This collaboration enhances automated ad buying, providing brands with data-driven solutions to optimize campaigns across BackLite's premium digital inventory, reinforcing innovation in regional advertising strategies. Programmatic DOOH supports the dynamic delivery of content that ensures the messages are pertinent to a particular audience at a given time, making it improve the return on investment.

Expansion of Retail and Entertainment Sectors  

The rapidly growing retail and entertainment industries in the GCC are providing considerable opportunities for the OOH advertising market. The region is witnessing the emergence of new shopping malls, retail outlets, theme parks, cinemas, and entertainment hubs. Such venues with a high number of visitors present ideal locations for impactful OOH advertising campaigns to effectively target diverse audiences of residents and tourists. Shopping malls in cities such as Dubai, Riyadh, and Kuwait City have transformed into experiential centers with heavy footfall and offer high-value spaces for static as well as digital advertising display. Entertainment events, concerts, and sports tournaments enhance audience engagement, and advertisers use large-format screens, digital billboards, and event sponsorships to maximize visibility.

GCC Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising Industry Segmentation:      

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market, along with forecasts at the country and regional levels from 2025-2033. The market has been categorized based on type, product, application, and end user.

Analysis by Type:

• Traditional
• Digital
   

The traditional OOH advertising market in the GCC is crucial for effectively reaching a large audience. Billboards, transit ads, and posters are prevalent in busy areas like highways, airports, and shopping centers. These formats give brands excellent visibility, ensuring they reach diverse groups, particularly in urban areas where outdoor activities are common for residents and tourists.     

Digital OOH is changing the market as it is offering more flexibility and real-time content delivery. With the use of LED screens, interactive displays, and programmatic technologies, advertising becomes targeted and real-time, therefore engaging audiences more than before. Messages can be tailored by time, location, and consumer behavior, thus increasing audience engagement. DOOH fits in with GCC's technological advancements and, hence, is a crucial aspect in modern advertising strategies.    

Analysis by Product:    

• Billboard Advertising
• Transport Advertising
• Street Furniture Advertising
• Others
   

Billboard advertising is crucial in the GCC out-of-home (OOH) market, providing unprecedented visibility and impact. Placed strategically along highways, urban centers, and high-traffic zones, billboards are able to catch the attention of commuters and passersby. Their large format and vibrant designs enable brands to display compelling messages, making them perfect for luxury goods, events, and campaigns in the metropolises of Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha.  

Transport advertising is an important factor in the GCC OOH market, as it maximizes brand exposure by using both public and private transportation. Advertisements on buses, taxis, metro trains, and even airports ensure mobility and an extended audience reach. Transport advertising is continuous and dynamic with increasing investments in modern infrastructure that targets residents and tourists as they move through key commercial and residential hubs.  

Street furniture advertising embellishes urban spaces by integrating advertising into everyday public settings. With kiosks, benches, bus shelters, and digital screens, this format combines functionality with visibility. In the GCC, with urban development thriving, street furniture advertising provides brands with a direct interaction with target audiences, delivering consistent messaging in high-footfall areas.

Analysis by Application:

• Outdoor
• Indoor
   

The outdoor advertising segment is majorly responsible for the GCC OOH advertising market due to its wide reach and visibility. Outdoor mediums like billboards, transit ads, and digital screens dominate with rapid urbanization, increased infrastructure, and rising tourist inflow. Highways, airports, and shopping hubs are perfect locations that provide advertisers with immense opportunity to target commuters and travelers and make it a preferred channel for brand promotions.  

Indoor OOH is on the rise in the GCC market, with malls, airports, and corporate spaces becoming hot spots. Indoor OOH in the region caters to the region's focus on luxury retail and entertainment destinations by providing a captive audience to drive engagement through dynamic displays and immersive digital screens. Such forms of advertising improve consumer experience and brand recall through high-traffic indoor locations that attract affluent consumers and tourists.

Analysis by End User:

• Retail
• Entertainment and Leisure
• Banking
• Telecom
• Food and Beverage
• Transportation
• Healthcare
• Others
   

Retail is the one of the major sectors in the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market, which is fueled by the thriving consumer culture and the expanding shopping mall ecosystem in the region. Retailers use OOH media to enhance brand visibility, promote seasonal sales, and attract footfall to stores.  

Entertainment and leisure are important components of the GCC's OOH advertising landscape, as the region focuses on tourism and lifestyle experiences. Cinemas, amusement parks, cultural events, and sports venues use OOH platforms to reach diverse audiences. The increasing number of entertainment destinations, along with mega events such as the Dubai Expo, increases the relevance of OOH advertising in experience promotion, driving attendance, and supporting the hospitality and tourism industries in the region.     

The banking sector is a key contributor to the GCC OOH advertising market. Financial institutions utilize OOH media to enhance brand awareness, publicize innovative services, and connect with tech-savvy customers. Campaigns frequently center around digital banking solutions, credit offerings, and savings plans as the region's financial inclusion and digital transformation are gaining pace. Banks benefit from using OOH advertising to be present in highly trafficked areas and, by this means, establish trust, and attract new customers.

Country Analysis:

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Oman
   

With an enormous geography, high population, and thriving economy, Saudi Arabia has a significant share of the GCC OOH advertisement market. Leading cities, such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, attract tremendous advertisements in the markets. The Government's vision 2030 initiative towards infrastructure development and urbanization with tourism brings a better scope for digital and traditional OOH ad formats for reaching out diverse audience.

The UAE is a regional center for innovation and luxury, which is why it plays a crucial role in the GCC OOH advertising market. Cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer developed infrastructure, global events, and high consumer engagement, thereby increasing demand for premium and digital OOH advertising.

Qatar's growing influence in the GCC OOH advertising market is fueled by strategic investments in infrastructure, sports events, and tourism. Hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022, for instance, proved Qatar's capability to attract international brands and advertisers. Significant urban development projects, combined with digital transformation, make Qatar a rising platform for innovative and immersive OOH advertising formats.  

Bahrain, which is considered small in scale, will remain one of major regions in the GCC OOH advertising market due to urban density and strategic location. Due to the country's thriving finance sector, its focus on economic diversification offers advertisers an attractive opportunity for targeting affluent as well as urbanized groups. Continuing investments in infrastructures as well as developing retail outlets form a more solid platform for both traditional OOH advertising and digital displays.  

Kuwait has an established economy along with an affluent population makes it a crucial player in GCC OOH advertising market. The consumer spending power has been high and there is increased focus on modern urban infrastructures, leading to the development of innovative advertisement solutions. Such investment in smart cities and public places has enabled digital billboards and other interactive OOH mediums for increasing the visibility and participation of advertising initiatives.

Oman's strategic geographical position and tourism industry contribute immensely to the GCC OOH advertising market. The government, under Vision 2040, is investing in infrastructure, urbanization, and tourism in order to attract businesses and brands. Traditional OOH advertising continues to dominate Oman, but the gradual shift toward digital displays in urban centers showcases the country's intent to modernize its advertising landscape and expand its market potential.

Competitive Landscape:

Major players in the market embrace innovative approaches to foster better audience interaction and maximize campaign efficacy. Such advertisers are adopting advanced technologies like digital displays and programmatic advertising for real-time information and messaging. These organizations are focusing on data-driven insights into audience behavior as well, which allow optimizing ad placement for superior reach. The interactive elements such as QR codes and augmented reality are integrated, hence making it immersive for viewers. Advertising networks are being expanded into high-traffic areas like cities and transport stations. The firm is committed to sustainability and has made investments in green displays and renewable sources of energy in keeping with the regional goals for the environment.   

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape in the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market with detailed profiles of all major companies.

Latest News and Developments:       

• January 9, 2024: OMG MENA partnered with the Neuron to advance programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising in the GCC OOH advertising sector. This collaboration focuses on delivering precise, data-driven solutions, enhancing audience targeting, and improving campaign effectiveness across digital advertising platforms in the region.      
• May 22, 2024: Wildcraft India partnered with Apparel Group to expand its presence in the GCC region. The collaboration aims to strengthen Wildcraft's retail footprint, leveraging strategic marketing channels, including GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising, to enhance brand visibility and cater to the growing regional demand for outdoor products.

GCC Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising Market Report Scope:

Key Benefits for Stakeholders:

• IMARC’s report offers a comprehensive quantitative analysis of various market segments, historical and current market trends, market forecasts, and dynamics of the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market from 2019-2033.
• The research study provides the latest information on the market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising market.
• Porter's Five Forces analysis assists stakeholders in assessing the impact of new entrants, competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, and the threat of substitution. It helps stakeholders to analyze the level of competition within the GCC out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry and its attractiveness.
• Competitive landscape allows stakeholders to understand their competitive environment and provides an insight into the current positions of key players in the market.