At this year’s Independent Billboard Operators (IBO) panel discussion, one theme emerged consistently throughout the conversation: the next phase of OOH growth will depend on making the medium easier to buy, sell, and measure for operators of all sizes.

Broadsign CEO Burr Smith and Chief Strategy Officer Ari Buchalter shared their perspectives on the forces reshaping OOH advertising, from automation and programmatic transactions to audience-driven buying and measurement, while also discussing what those shifts mean for independent operators navigating an increasingly digital and data-driven landscape.

Out-of-home is entering its next evolution

The global advertising market is now roughly $1 trillion, with OOH accounting for approximately $50 billion worldwide and programmatic transactions representing a fast-growing portion of that spend. Throughout the panel, Ari emphasized that the industry may be approaching a tipping point, as improvements in automation, measurement, and accessibility continue attracting greater interest from major omnichannel buying platforms and advertisers.

That opportunity is driven by many of the qualities that have long made OOH valuable: strong real-world audience connection, proximity to the point of purchase, high visibility, and immunity from the bot fraud that plagues many digital channels. At the same time, advances in data, automation, and audience-based measurement are making the medium more flexible, measurable, and accessible to advertisers.

As campaigns become more dynamic, data-driven, and omnichannel, many OOH transactions still rely on fragmented planning, buying, and operational workflows that create friction across the campaign lifecycle. Simplifying those processes is becoming increasingly important as advertisers expect the same speed, flexibility, and interoperability they experience across other digital channels. For independent operators, that evolution could help reduce operational complexity and make it easier to participate in audience-based and programmatic buying environments.

Programmatic DOOH is accelerating that shift. While still early in its maturity compared to broader digital advertising, adoption continues to grow as more transactions move through DSPs and programmatic platforms. As a result, OOH has an opportunity to capture a larger share of media budgets while giving independent billboard operators greater visibility within national and regional media buys alongside larger networks.

“Our objective at Broadsign is to try and unify, automate, and simplify that entire $50 billion slice of the market, because if we make OOH as simple to buy as other media channels, with the same efficiency, transparency, and visibility into audiences, we should be able to grow that $50 billion market to capture more share,” says Burr. “There are certain aspects of OOH that are much better: it’s closer to purchase, there’s less fraud, and there are inherent strengths in the medium if we do what we need to do.”

Building a more connected ecosystem with Broadsign and Place Exchange

A recurring theme throughout the IBO panel was that OOH’s continued growth will depend on stronger collaboration across the ecosystem. As advertisers increasingly expect unified workflows, audience-based buying, and easier access to inventory, operators, platforms, and buyers all play a role in modernizing OOH transactions.

That broader industry shift is reflected in the combination of Broadsign and Place Exchange. While Broadsign has long focused on the infrastructure and operational side of OOH, including content management, ad serving, and campaign management tools, Place Exchange brings expertise in programmatic transactions, SSP capabilities, and established buy-side relationships, particularly in the US market. Together, the companies support a more connected workflow spanning inventory management, campaign delivery, programmatic monetization, and audience-based activation.

For independent operators, that broader ecosystem creates new opportunities to participate in programmatic DOOH and access regional and national demand flowing through programmatic platforms. While larger operators may integrate directly with SSPs and buying platforms, smaller media owners can work through aggregators such as Screenverse, Vengo, Adkom, and Billboard Planet, to collectively expand their reach and make inventory more accessible to buyers.

The discussion also reinforced that independent operators remain a critical part of OOH’s broader ecosystem. Their local market expertise, unique inventory, and community presence continue to offer meaningful value to advertisers seeking more contextual and geographically diverse ways to reach audiences.

“I got into out-of-home because I was excited not just by the power of the channel as an advertising medium, but by its growth potential and its ability to leverage data and technologies like programmatic to grow beyond the relatively small share of advertising spend it represents today, roughly 5% globally and only 2% in the US,” says Ari. “That remains our North Star. We’re focused on OOH at a time when many competitors are shifting toward areas like CTV and search. That focus on OOH defines who we are.”