Open Media joins VIOOH for UK DOOH programmatic buying

Open Media has partnered with VIOOH to make its digital out-of-home screens available through programmatic trading. The deal covers 42 LED screens across the UK.

The inventory delivers more than 120 million monthly impressions, according to the companies, giving media buyers access to large-format digital sites in city centres, shopping destinations, roadside locations and event venues.

The portfolio spans London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Brighton and Belfast, including sites at BOXPARK locations and Old Trafford that are now available through VIOOH.

The agreement adds Open Media's screens to VIOOH's supply-side platform for digital out-of-home advertising. Buyers using the platform will be able to book campaigns across the network programmatically rather than only through direct sales.

According to the companies, the network accounts for an estimated 1-2% share of the large-format digital out-of-home market. The deal therefore sits within a segment where media owners have been expanding automated trading options as advertisers seek more flexible planning and buying tools.

Market reach

Open Media's estate includes both static and full-motion formats. Its screen portfolio is designed to offer national reach alongside access to regional audiences, reflecting advertiser demand for campaigns that run across multiple cities while still targeting local markets.

Programmatic digital out-of-home has grown as brands try to align outdoor campaigns more closely with digital media buying practices. In this model, advertisers use software-based buying to select screens, timings and audiences, and can adjust campaigns during the booking window.

For media owners, partnerships like this can widen access to demand from agencies and trading desks already buying through established platforms. For buyers, they can increase the amount of premium inventory available in one marketplace.

VIOOH now trades programmatically in 37 markets and works with more than 50 demand-side platforms globally. Adding Open Media's inventory expands its UK offering at a time when competition for premium roadside and city-centre digital sites remains strong.

Company view

Anna Hunter, Data Strategy & Programmatic Manager at Open Media, outlined the rationale for the tie-up.

"Our integration with VIOOH marks a significant step forward in making Open Media's premium inventory more accessible to programmatic buyers. From high-impact spectacular sites to culturally relevant environments like BOXPARK and Old Trafford, we are offering advertisers the opportunity to reach highly engaged audiences in moments that matter. Through VIOOH, brands can now tap into this inventory with greater flexibility and control, combining the power of OOH with the speed and precision of programmatic buying," Hunter said.

The deal also reflects the continued shift in out-of-home advertising towards data-led planning and automated transactions. While traditional direct buying remains a significant part of the sector, digital screens have made it easier for media owners to offer campaigns that can be updated quickly and bought against specific objectives.

The trend has been particularly evident in premium large-format sites, where advertisers often seek broad reach but also want to adjust creative or deployment based on timing, geography or audience movement. Open Media said its inventory is positioned in locations associated with strong footfall, longer dwell times and repeat exposure.

VIOOH's commercial leadership said the partnership strengthens the range of premium UK screens available on its platform.

"Open Media has assembled a portfolio that genuinely reflects the strength of what premium UK DOOH has to offer, with high-impact locations and the scale and audience diversity to support sophisticated campaign strategies. Bringing this inventory into the programmatic marketplace strengthens the overall quality of inventory available to buyers on the VIOOH platform, and is a strong addition to our growing UK offering," Wilson said.