Broadcast and connected TV (CTV) are attracting significant political investment this cycle, as the first post in this series laid out. But political demand isn't limited to television and streaming. OOH is also attracting growing advertiser interest, creating new considerations for brands planning their Q4 media mix.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is becoming an important part of the political advertising mix.
Political OOH spend increased 31.6% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of the last presidential cycle, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). Within that, House and Senate race spend grew 184.3%. These figures illustrate how political advertisers have been expanding their use of out-of-home alongside more established channels.
The first half of the cycle told the same story. US House and Senate OOH campaign spending in the first half of 2024 quadrupled compared to 2020, and was up 70% compared to 2022, per OAAA. And it's not just political dollars driving the category. Total US OOH revenue reached a record $9.46B in 2025, with digital out-of-home (DOOH) accounting for 36.3% of that and growing 10.5% year over year, extending the industry's growth streak to 19 consecutive quarters.
Why DOOH is becoming more relevant to political advertisers
Part of it is reach. 68% of likely voters report having seen political out-of-home advertising, per OAAA's own research. Part of it is flexibility. Programmatic DOOH lets campaigns swap creative mid-flight in a way static formats never allowed, which has opened the channel to political advertisers who historically treated it as a last resort.
For brands navigating rising competition for inventory across channels, DOOH offers another way to reach audiences with flexible, location-based campaigns and adaptable creative. Rather than treating channels as substitutes, advertisers should consider how CTV, DOOH, and other media environments can work together to support their objectives. The Q4 election-year readiness briefing explores how these channels fit into a more flexible media strategy.
This is the second post in a series on election-year media pressure and Q4 planning. Next: what happens when two of the busiest media weeks of the year, the final stretch before Election Day and the start of holiday, land on top of each other.
Talk to Perion about building flexibility into your Q4 media plan today.
