Following our report on the Out of Home (OOH) industry’s exceptional performance throughout 2025, the latest figures from Outsmart and PwC have been released, with the outlook remaining overwhelmingly positive.
Total OOH revenue for Q1 2026 reached £341.2 million, representing a significant 15% increase compared to Q1 2025 (£296.7 million). These results highlight the continued strength and resilience of the sector, despite ongoing economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures and wider geopolitical instability.
As expected, Digital Out of Home (DOOH) continues to lead the market, recording year-on-year growth of 17.6% and accounting for 67% of total industry revenue. However, traditional OOH formats also delivered an impressive performance, growing by 10.1% year-on-year. This sustained growth demonstrates that classic OOH remains a highly effective medium, particularly for long-term brand building and location-specific campaigns.
Among the strongest-performing formats were 6-sheet displays, which generated £143.8 million in revenue during the quarter. Alternative formats also showed robust performance, delivering 14.1% year-on-year growth and contributing £59 million to the Q1 total. The transport sector provided a particular highlight for traditional OOH, with classic formats outperforming their digital counterparts, generating £65.1 million compared with £53.8 million.
Commenting on the industry’s success, Justin Cochrane, Chair of Outsmart, said:
“Despite ongoing macroeconomic challenges, this is an incredibly strong result, demonstrating the confidence brands have in Out of Home.”
“Despite ongoing macroeconomic challenges, this is an incredibly strong result, demonstrating the confidence brands have in Out of Home.”
Our Managing Director, Ieuan Marsh, also welcomed the latest figures, saying:
“These results are a great endorsement of the Out of Home sector and its continued ability to deliver value for advertisers. While we remained optimistic heading into 2026, the broader economic landscape made forecasting difficult. Seeing such strong growth across the industry is extremely encouraging, particularly the continued performance of traditional OOH formats.”
“These results are a great endorsement of the Out of Home sector and its continued ability to deliver value for advertisers. While we remained optimistic heading into 2026, the broader economic landscape made forecasting difficult. Seeing such strong growth across the industry is extremely encouraging, particularly the continued performance of traditional OOH formats.”
The latest Q1 figures underline the enduring appeal and effectiveness of OOH advertising. With both digital and traditional formats continuing to grow, the industry is demonstrating remarkable resilience and adaptability in a challenging market.
For Bay Media, this positive market momentum is reflected in our own recent successes, including significant contract wins in Leeds, Stevenage and Cheshire. These additions further strengthen our nationwide portfolio of OOH locations, enabling us to offer advertisers even greater coverage in key communities across the UK.
As brands increasingly prioritise trusted, high-visibility channels to connect with audiences in meaningful and memorable ways, we are well positioned to build on this momentum throughout the remainder of 2026.
Discover more about Bay Media here.