Media Frankfurt Chooses Broadsign International’s Digital Signage Software-as-a-Service
Major German airport DOOH operator makes a safe bet on the future by converting its entire network to Broadsign’s platform.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Media Frankfurt GmbH, Germany’s largest OOH advertising media owner in airports has converted all of its 161 digital locations to Broadsign International’s digital signage software platform.
Media Frankfurt’s network is currently comprised of 238 large-format LCD panels, strategically placed to capture the attention of over 57 million passengers annually. A number of large LED screens will be added in the near future.
The technical aspects of network operations for Media Frankfurt and managed services are supported by Neo Solutions, a full-service digital signage systems integrator, who is already managing several thousand screens running on Broadsign SaaS.
Media Frankfurt’s Director of Operations, Christian Brauch said that the company selected Broadsign following some high-profile referrals and a period of extensive research and testing. “Since the switch we find that the software makes it easy for us to configure the networks as well as schedule and execute campaigns of any complexity,” he added.
“The German-speaking digital signage market is rapidly expanding and we are honored to be selected by such a prominent operator as Media Frankfurt. We are confident that their investment in Broadsign as an emerging standard will help make their media more efficient and compatible with the many other European networks thanks to our platform,” states Broadsign’s Vice President of Sales, Skip Beloff.
About Broadsign
Broadsign International LLC is the leading global provider of software-as-a-service for digital signage networks. Its software allows networks to target out-of-home audiences, place advertising or promotional campaigns, play back scheduled content on each screen and account for campaign performance. Some of the world’s largest and most successful digital signage networks run on Broadsign’s platform. They take advantage of its comprehensive functionality, reliability and virtually unlimited capacity for growing networks without adding personnel. Broadsign is consistently ranked among the top 3 global digital signage software suppliers and received the 2012 Global Growth Leadership Award in the Digital Signage Software market from Frost & Sullivan. For more information about Broadsign, visit https://broadsign.com.
About Media Frankfurt
Media Frankfurt GmbH is the exclusive marketing agency for advertising space at Frankfurt Airport. Thanks to its connection to the JCDecaux network (the world-market leader for airport advertising) with 152 airports around the globe, Media Frankfurt is also the point of contact for German companies planning international airport campaigns. With over 2,000 advertising media, Media Frankfurt reaches about 60 million passengers at Frankfurt Airport, the home base of Lufthansa and an important hub of the entire Star Alliance. The product portfolio of Media Frankfurt ranges from Citylightposters, via digital media, light boxes and large-scale billboards, to customised airport marketing solutions. The spectrum of services provided by Media Frankfurt includes not only the marketing of advertising space but also the development of products and concepts. http://www.media-frankfurt.de
Product News | October 11, 2021
What is programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) advertising?
Programmatic digital out-of-home, often shortened to programmatic DOOH or pDOOH, refers to the automated buying, selling, and delivery of out-of-home (OOH) ads via real-time bidding on digital screens. Instead of booking fixed placements, advertisers set the conditions under which media should run, and ads are served automatically when those conditions are met.
Once a niche buying method, pDOOH is now a core part of modern media plans, as automation-enabled OOH planning workflows and faster, data-driven decision-making reshape a medium that has traditionally relied on slower, manual processes. This momentum is reflected in forecasts for leading markets like the U.S., where pDOOH spend is expected to account for 65% of national DOOH spending by 2029, up from just 24% in 2024.
Read on for a closer look at what programmatic DOOH is, how it works, and why it’s gaining traction with today’s advertisers.
Programmatic DOOH applies programmatic buying technology to digital screens in public, shared environments such as city streets, transit hubs, and retail locations. While it uses many of the same tools and data sources as other programmatic channels, the key distinction lies in where ads appear and how impressions are defined.
As a form of out-of-home (OOH) advertising, pDOOH operates in one-to-many physical settings. Each ad exposure may be seen by multiple people viewing the same screen at the same time, rather than a single logged-in user or device. This changes how reach, exposure, and measurement are approached compared to online programmatic media.
In practical terms, this means advertisers plan around real-world moments, environments, and aggregated audience signals, shifting decision-making from fixed placements (as in traditional OOH) or individual-level identifiers (like in online advertising) to data-driven eligibility across shared physical spaces.
Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) vs traditional DOOH: Understanding the difference
At a high level, programmatic DOOH doesn’t change the channel or environments where ads appear — it’s still digital out-of-home (DOOH) media. That means the strengths that make DOOH appealing to advertisers, including its high-impact creative formats, unskippable exposure, and proven ability to drive real-world action, also apply to pDOOH.
What it does change is how DOOH campaigns are planned, activated, and adjusted over time. Instead of locking in every decision upfront, programmatic DOOH introduces automation and rules-based buying that can influence which screens run ads, when they run, and under what conditions.
Here’s what actually changes when DOOH becomes programmatic:
Traditional DOOH
Direct buying through manual negotiations and insertion orders
Fixed schedules planned in advance
Manual planning focused on locations and durations
Periodic reporting after or between campaign flights
Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH)
Automated buying via real-time bidding on programmatic platforms, either through open exchange (oRTB) or private marketplace (PMP) deals
Real-time optimization based on availability, conditions, or performance
Data-driven activation using signals like time, location, and external data
Dynamic delivery potential with creative updates triggered by conditions
Automated reporting with faster access to delivery and performance insights
NOTE: While many buyers associate “automation in OOH” with programmatic ad buying — i.e., via real-time bidding — automation has expanded beyond bidding models to include newer transaction paths that complement pDOOH.
Now take everything that’s great about DOOH and layer in extra data, better targeting, and easy access. Those are the added benefits you’re looking at with programmatic DOOH.
Programmatic DOOH enables faster planning, activation, and in-flight flexibility
Programmatic flexibility is a key driver of pDOOH adoption, with 75% of agencies citing flexible buying as a major reason for use, according to a 2025 report from IAB Australia. By replacing manual negotiations and insertion orders with software-driven buying, teams can move from planning to launch more quickly and make in-flight adjustments based on campaign delivery and performance insights.
Programmatic DOOH supports more precise, context-driven targeting
Instead of relying on broad-reach, fixed buys, advertisers can use aggregated data signals to target audiences and moments with far greater precision. Contextual and real-time environmental data, like weather, time of day, or nearby events, can also inform creative delivery, helping brands dynamically align messaging with real-world moments for increased relevance without relying on personal identifiers.
Programmatic DOOH improves measurement and reporting
With streamlined access to centralized delivery data and automated reporting, pDOOH provides clearer visibility into campaign performance and enables more strategic decision-making. Using technology like in-screen sensors, device ID passback, and geo-fencing, advertisers can more accurately measure digital OOH ad exposure and strengthen attribution for downstream actions such as store visits or website activity, bringing DOOH closer to the precision of online advertising.
Programmatic DOOH integrates more easily into omnichannel strategies
As more and more DSPs get on board with programmatic DOOH, planning DOOH alongside channels like social media and mobile advertising as part of a multichannel strategy is becoming more straightforward. Advertisers can often adapt existing online or mobile creative for DOOH displays, while cross-channel insights and shared planning logic make it easier to extend reach and retarget audiences across connected digital channels.
If your agency or brand uses online advertising, you may already know the basics of programmatic ad buying or have even set up a campaign using a demand-side platform (DSP). But even if the technology is similar, a few features of programmatic DOOH are unique compared to other digital formats.
The same is true from a traditional OOH perspective. While the environments and formats will feel familiar, programmatic DOOH changes how campaigns are planned, activated, and adjusted.
How targeting works
In traditional OOH and directly bought DOOH, targeting is defined upfront through fixed placements, environments, and schedules. Programmatic DOOH separates targeting logic from specific screens, allowing eligibility to be determined by predefined criteria rather than locked-in placement lists.
Targeting in programmatic DOOH is driven by contextual and aggregated signals, including:
Time-based criteria (time of day, day of week)
Location and environment (screen type, venue category, proximity to POIs)
Weather and situational factors (local events, traffic or transit conditions)
On top of this, programmatic DOOH supports a shift toward audience-based targeting. Instead of selecting screens directly, advertisers use aggregated audience signals like movement patterns or first-party data to inform where and when ads are eligible to run based on who is likely present in a given place and moment. These signals guide delivery without identifying or targeting individuals.
The same targeting logic can also support dynamic activation and dynamic creative optimization (DCO), allowing different approved creative variations to run based on audience context and real-world conditions, rather than serving a single static message throughout a campaign.
Platforms and DSPs: How advertisers access programmatic DOOH
In programmatic DOOH, the DSP is the central interface where buyers define campaign rules, budgets, and eligibility criteria, rather than selecting individual screens. For digital teams, this extends familiar DSP workflows into out-of-home; for OOH teams, it replaces screen-level booking with a single control layer that governs delivery across multiple environments.
DOOH inventory can be accessed either through a purpose-built DSP for out-of-home or via integration with the DSP your team already uses for other digital channels. In both cases, the DSP manages how and when eligible inventory is activated, supporting a range of buying methods from open auctions to more structured, pre-arranged deals.
Real-world examples
Looking for inspiration? Here are two pDOOH advertising examples that show how different agencies and brands have leveraged the medium. Explore our full case study catalogue for more programmatic success stories.
Visit Arizona: Inspiring travel planning with nationwide programmatic DOOH
Visit Arizona, the state’s official tourism organization, set out to influence travel consideration and planning among high-intent audiences across the U.S. Using programmatic DOOH, the campaign activated high-traffic screens in key markets and paired on-screen exposure with mobile retargeting to stay connected beyond the initial impression.
By combining DOOH with arrival-based measurement, the campaign linked media exposure to real-world travel behaviour and delivered strong mobile engagement. The result was a 30% lift in arrivals, outperforming national benchmarks for comparable tourism campaigns. Read the full Visit Arizona case study to see how programmatic DOOH supported measurable travel outcomes at scale.
HP: Building brand impact and driving sales with programmatic DOOH in Dubai
HP used programmatic DOOH to support awareness and consideration for its Smart Tank printer range in Dubai, a highly competitive and high-value media market. The campaign focused on reaching family households through frequent exposure on premium digital screens in malls, transit hubs, and other high-traffic, family-oriented environments.
By aligning screen environments with its core audience and measuring impact beyond impressions, the campaign delivered strong brand and business results. Exposure drove a 12% year-over-year sales lift, a 42% increase in purchase consideration for the Smart Tank 585, and a twofold increase in positive brand perception among exposed audiences. Read the full HP case study to see how programmatic DOOH supported both brand and sales outcomes in a key regional market.
See how HP leveraged programmatic DOOH to drive incremental sales in Dubai
FAQs about pDOOH advertising
How does programmatic DOOH differ from traditional OOH or DOOH advertising?
The difference lies in how the media is bought and managed, not where ads appear. Traditional OOH and DOOH campaigns are typically planned and booked upfront using fixed locations and schedules, while programmatic DOOH uses software-based buying to apply targeting rules, budgets, and conditions that determine when and where ads are eligible to run. The screens and environments remain the same — programmatic simply introduces more flexible, data-informed decision-making.
Is programmatic DOOH privacy-safe?
Yes. Programmatic DOOH does not rely on cookies, mobile ad IDs, or individual user tracking. Instead, targeting and delivery are informed by aggregated, privacy-safe signals such as location context, time of day, environmental factors, and anonymized audience insights. Because ads are delivered in shared, one-to-many public environments, programmatic DOOH aligns well with evolving privacy expectations and regulations.
Meet Ari Buchalter, Broadsign’s new Chief Strategy Officer
As Broadsign enters its next phase of growth and transformation, we’re excited to welcome Ari Buchalter as Chief Strategy Officer. Ari joins the team at a pivotal moment, focused on aligning strategy, platform direction, and growth priorities as Broadsign and Place Exchange move forward as a more unified organization.
Ari brings a long track record of building and scaling technology at the intersection of media, data, and automation. As the founder of Place Exchange, he helped advance programmatic buying in out-of-home and has spent his career in leadership roles across out-of-home (OOH) and programmatic advertising, focused on making complex ecosystems more connected, accessible, and effective.
We sat down with Ari to talk about the year ahead, how the platform is evolving, and his perspective on bringing Broadsign and Place Exchange together under a shared vision.
As Broadsign and Place Exchange come together, how would you describe your role and main areas of focus across the combined organization?
As Chief Strategy Officer for the combined entity, I’m excited to explore the many areas where we can create and capture value from the combination of these two incredible organizations. Some of the opportunity areas I’m keen to focus on include leveraging our leading global supply footprint to unlock more demand for programmatic DOOH, accelerating growth in emerging markets, and delivering innovative offerings that complement existing buyer and seller tools with more data, analytics, and insights. Additional opportunities include:
Combining our industry-leading monetization and technology solutions to unlock more value for media owners
Expanding our PerView offering to new markets and customers
Simplifying how buyers and sellers can layer the benefits of programmatic onto direct buys
Technical innovations that open up new sources of demand for DOOH inventory
What excites you most about joining Broadsign at this moment, and how do you see our combined strengths accelerating innovation in DOOH?
This is a fascinating moment in the industry. What was once a market made up largely of independent players has shifted, with many of those companies now having been acquired by larger players. Those new partnerships have manifested different strategies and challenges: some players are now focused on building omnichannel advertising platforms, drawing their focus away from OOH. Others face the challenge of being owned and controlled by a large publisher, which can pose a potential conflict of interest in the eyes of other publishers.
The combination of Broadsign and Place Exchange creates the most comprehensive solution in the industry for managing and monetizing OOH inventory, instantly amassing the largest global aggregation of programmatic supply and demand, and bringing together the two most talented and respected teams in the industry. Those “raw ingredients” alone are extremely compelling. But unlike our competitors, we are the only company that is both focused solely on OOH and not owned or controlled by a large publisher. I think that focus, independence, and objectivity put us in a unique position to succeed if we can deliver what our clients and partners need.
What are the biggest opportunities ahead as we work toward a unified SSP for media owners and buyers?
The media landscape is not just fragmenting in terms of the number of channels; it is becoming more advanced (and complex) in terms of the technical capabilities and consumer experiences that each channel can deliver. Think of CTV, with innovations like shoppable overlays, pause ads, and product placements; or gaming with in-world ads, branded skins, and rewarded video – those are just a few examples of how individual channels are transforming. With location data, real-time dynamic creative triggers, anamorphic ads, augmented reality, and more, OOH is no different.
To me, that means the role of SSPs will need to evolve beyond a connection pathway between supply and demand, towards the development of channel-specific technology that helps media owners and buyers ideate, develop, scale, monetize, and optimize consumer experiences that deliver growth for publishers and results for advertisers. In other words, a strategic technology partner to navigate the complex new landscape that is emerging. That is the real opportunity of the “new SSP,” and our combined business puts us in a strong position to deliver against it.
As we look to unify our SSP technology, what guidance can you give customers on what to expect?
If you are already integrated with Place Exchange – on the supply side or the demand side – expect the same, but more. The same high-performing technology, but with more ideas and innovations to grow your business. The same excellent service, but with even more tools and resources to support you. The same level of premium demand and supply, but more of it.
If you are a partner of the Broadsign SSP that will be migrating to Place Exchange, expect the best of both worlds – to keep the features and benefits you have today, while opening up new opportunities for innovation and growth. We will provide a glide path for our partners to deliver a smooth and seamless transition, along with the chance to explore how we can open up your integration to even more scale.
Programmatic DOOH has undergone significant shifts over the past few years. What trends do you think will define 2026 and beyond?
There are three interesting trends that I think will shape 2026 and beyond, all of which saw seeds planted in 2025.
First, I think OOH media owners will increasingly embrace programmatic across their business. Historically (in all channels), the push for programmatic was usually led by the buy-side, given the massive buyer benefits it brings in terms of targeting, measurement, and efficiency. As traction grows, the benefits to the sell-side become more apparent: programmatic is not just a sales channel but a technology that can deliver benefits across all sales channels, including direct. In other channels, programmatic started off focused on non-guaranteed buying, but over time, the hybrid benefits of programmatic guaranteed (PG) buying became evident. In 2025, we saw forward-leaning publishers embrace buyer demand for PG with tremendous success, and I think PG / in-advance buying will cross the chasm in 2026. While it may take a few years to overtake non-guaranteed buying, I think that will happen in the not-too-distant future.
Second, I think we will see a lot more intentional demand for DOOH inventory coming from other media channels. By that, I mean CTV buyers looking to buy CTV inventory in public places (for example, during live events), retail media buyers looking to buy retail media in stores at the point of decision-making purchase, and audio buyers looking to buy broadcast audio inventory heard by many people instead of a single person on a personal device. The challenge, however, is that a “regular” programmatic DOOH integration won’t cut it; to meet the needs of these CTV or retail or audio buyers, we have to instrument the connections to DOOH inventory differently and with full transparency across the value chain. We spearheaded innovations in all of these areas in 2025, proving the revenue potential is there, and I think 2026 will begin to see these new demand sources scale.
Lastly, I think a lot of focus in 2026 will go towards understanding exactly how AI interacts with programmatic. The initial hype cycle has (naturally) focused on the many opportunities, which are likely to be fundamentally transformative for the industry. But what’s received less attention thus far are the many challenges and risks that AI-driven media buying could bring. I think 2026 will be the year where important work gets done, rolling up sleeves to build, test and learn where, when and how AI can go beyond press releases and snazzy demos and begin to come up alongside billions of dollars of ad spend to add real value to the business of advertising.
What data advancements or opportunities are you most optimistic about as we start 2026?
We’ve proven that the impact of OOH – at any stage of the funnel – can be measured like any other channel. That’s a big deal and leaps ahead of where the industry was not too long ago. The challenge is that measurement still requires separate, siloed data, systems, and processes (e.g., one-off measurement studies).
Programmatic has already unified targeting, creative, and execution of OOH with other channels – measurement is next. Imagine if you could report on the impact of an OOH campaign without having to set up and run a separate measurement study; instead, what if OOH performance just automagically showed up in the systems and methods buyers use to measure the performance of every other channel they buy? The ability to unify the data and measurement for OOH with other channels is probably the last major hurdle to OOH capturing a larger share of ad spend. I don’t think we’ll get to that endgame in 2026, but I believe we’ll make some big moves in that direction.
Stay tuned for more news and insights from Broadsign and Place Exchange on the Broadsign blog.
