Digital out of home advertising is having a bit of a moment. In fact, the latest figures from Outsmart, the trade body for the Out of Home (OOH) advertising industry, show that UK OOH advertising revenues reached £402.6 million in Q2 2026 - up 12.7% on the same period last year. And digital is leading the charge.
The figures, collated by PwC, show that Digital Out of Home (DOOH) revenue grew by 14.6% in Q2, compared with 8.8% growth for classic OOH. Digital now accounts for 68% of OOH revenue for the quarter. Across the first half of 2026, OOH revenue was up 13.7%, while Digital OOH grew by 15.9%.
So, what’s behind the growth? And why are more brands looking beyond traditional advertising formats and putting their messages on screens across Northern Ireland?
Why digital out of home advertising is growing
Traditional billboards have been doing their job for decades. Put a big message somewhere lots of people pass, and you have a pretty straightforward way of getting noticed.
Digital billboards take that idea and make it considerably more flexible.
Instead of one static advert staying in place for the duration of a campaign, a digital screen can display multiple adverts and different messages throughout the day. That means brands can make better use of the same space, while advertisers can build campaigns around particular times, audiences or messages.
Need to promote breakfast from 7am? Easy.
Got a lunchtime offer? Put it on the screen around lunchtime.
Want to promote an evening event when people are heading into town after work? Change the message.
Digital out of home advertising means businesses can be more responsive to what is happening around them, rather than simply showing the same message from morning until night.
Outdoor Platform’s digital screens gives advertisers more control over when their campaigns appear.
And, perhaps most importantly, you don't need to print, produce and physically replace a poster every time you want to change your message.
That flexibility is a big part of the appeal.
Digital billboards across Northern Ireland
The growth of digital out of home advertising isn't just something happening in London or other major UK cities. Brands in Northern Ireland have an increasing number of opportunities to get their campaigns in front of people as they travel, shop, work and go about their everyday lives.
Outdoor Platform has digital screens in many locations across Northern Ireland, including Ballymena, Newry, Armagh, Newtownabbey, Forestside, Temple and Derry City, as well as a wide range of locations throughout Belfast.
And there's a new addition to the network in Derry City, with Outdoor Platform's new digital screen at the Richmond Centre.
Located in the heart of the city's historic centre, the portrait-format D48 screen creates a striking presence on a key approach to the Richmond Centre. With Primark directly opposite and the Millennium Forum nearby, it's in a location with regular shopper, visitor and evening footfall.
And there's plenty of potential audience around it. The Richmond Centre is one of the North West's leading retail destinations, home to more than 35 high-street brands across more than 120,000 sq ft.
The portrait format also makes the screen particularly suited to bold, mobile-first creative and high-impact brand campaigns. In other words, it's a pretty good place to make sure your ad doesn't just blend into the background.
In Belfast, Outdoor Platform's digital network includes locations such as Botanic Avenue, Boucher Road, Forestside, Duncrue, Woodstock Road and Temple.
These aren't locations chosen at random.
Outdoor Platform positions its digital out of home advertising screens along high-traffic areas, giving brands the opportunity to reach people while they are out and about.
Take the Botanic Avenue screen. Situated close to Queen's University and Botanic Gardens, it sits in an area surrounded by restaurants, shops and attractions, giving advertisers access to a mix of students, professionals, residents and visitors. The screen also has dynamic content capabilities, meaning campaigns can be updated and multiple campaigns can run across the same screen.
Then there's Duncrue, positioned at the gateway to Belfast Port and targeting traffic travelling from the M2 towards Belfast Port and the Dargan Industrial Estate. The screen is 6m x 3m and operates 24/7.
Outside Belfast, Outdoor Platform's network includes a large-format digital screen in Ballymena, plus digital screens in Armagh, Newry and Temple, Newtownabbey and now Derry City.
That means a campaign doesn't necessarily have to be about reaching everyone everywhere. Brands can choose locations that make sense for their audience and their objectives.
One screen, lots of different messages
One of the biggest advantages of digital out of home advertising is the ability to run multiple campaigns from the same screen.
Think of it like having several billboards in one location, without actually needing several billboards.
The trick is keeping it simple.
A strong image. A recognisable brand. A short message. And ideally something that can be understood at a glance.
No 14 line paragraph required. Digital doesn't mean complicated
It would be easy to assume that all this flexibility makes digital advertising complicated.
In reality, it can make campaigns much easier to manage.
Creatives can be updated without replacing physical artwork, campaigns can be scheduled around particular times and advertisers can run several messages within the same campaign.
For agencies and brands managing busy marketing calendars, that flexibility can be particularly useful.
Got a new offer? Change the creative.
Want to push a campaign harder at certain times? Schedule it.
Need to update a date or message? No need to wait for a new poster to be printed and installed.
And because the same screen can host multiple advertisers, digital OOH makes particularly efficient use of premium roadside and high-traffic locations.
The numbers are telling
The latest PwC-collated figures give a pretty good indication of where the wider OOH industry is heading.
While digital is growing quickly, it isn't the only option.
We offer a mix of digital billboards, traditional billboards, backlit billboards and bus advertising, including sightseeing bus opportunities in Belfast and along the Causeway Coast.
That means campaigns can be built around different formats depending on what a brand is trying to achieve.
A digital screen might be ideal for a campaign that needs multiple messages or regular updates.
A traditional billboard can provide a consistent, unchanging brand presence.
A backlit billboard can make a campaign stand out when visibility matters.
And a bus campaign can take the message on the move, putting a brand in front of pedestrians, motorists and public transport users across busy areas.
OOH can form part of a wider campaign alongside social media, search, video and other digital channels, giving audiences another opportunity to see and remember a brand.
Taking advertising outside
The latest figures suggest that OOH advertising isn't going anywhere, and digital is playing an increasingly important role in its growth.
For businesses and agencies in Northern Ireland, the opportunities are becoming more flexible too. From Belfast's busy commuter routes to screens in Ballymena, Armagh, Newry, Newtownabbey and Temple, brands can put their messages in front of people in the places where they are already spending their time.
And that's really the appeal of digital out of home advertising.
It's big, it's visible and, unlike the old-school billboard, it doesn't have to say the same thing all day.
Your morning message doesn't have to be your evening message.
Your Monday campaign doesn't have to be your Friday campaign.
And if something changes? You can change the ad too.
Not bad for a billboard.