Revenue of out-of-home-media in Germany 2019-2020

City-light posters were the most profitable out-of-home advertising medium in Germany in 2020, generating almost 227 million euros in net revenue. These large posters are backlit within tall frames built into various outside locations and covered by a glass screen. Out-of-home media (OOH) uses outside areas to display advertising material.

Outside influence

City-light posters are a familiar fixture in urban areas, often visible at bus stops, in train stations, airports, in frequented shopping streets, and other pedestrian spaces. As of 2020, OOH still made up a small share of the German advertising market compared to other formats. The goal of OOH media is to utilize outdoor spaces for advertising purposes and reach mobile target audiences through specific positioning and increased visibility. The locations chosen for displaying advertising either draw regular amounts of foot traffic or they lend themselves well to especially large ads noticeable from various vantage points. Other successful OOH formats in Germany include large-scale billboards and digital OOH. Outdoor advertising revenue is predicted to grow in the next years, with forecasts around 1.36 billion euros for 2023.

Investment magnet

Plenty of well-known companies in Germany, both actually German ones and branch offices of foreign enterprises, invest in outdoor advertising. Among these, the German Ministry of Health was in the lead in 2021, with 43 million euros spent in 2021. OOH advertising is also a popular option for online dating platforms, such as Parship. Germany had a total of 286,039 outdoor advertising spaces as of 2022.