TLDR
Australia's Out of Home sector recorded $376 million in net media revenue in Q3 2026, up 8.78% year-on-year and faster than the 5.58% growth posted in Q2. The acceleration arrived as broader agency spending fell 3.4% in August, with outdoor agency bookings up 10.7% against a 7.1% drop in digital.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Growth picks up speed after a mid-year dip
Australia's Out of Home (OOH) advertising sector posted $376 million in net media revenue in Q3 2026, up 8.78% from an adjusted $346 million in the same quarter last year.[1] The Outdoor Media Association (OMA), the peak industry body that compiles member-reported revenue net of commissions, released the figures on 13 October 2026.
The three-quarter trajectory shows a clear pattern: Q1 2026 came in at $359 million, up 7.41% on an adjusted $334 million in Q1 2025, before growth eased to 5.58% in Q2 and then accelerated to 8.78% in Q3.[2] The OMA recalculates prior-year figures for membership changes, so new members don't inflate the growth rates.
Out of Home net media revenue ($ million)
OOH against the rest of the market
Guideline SMI, which tracks gross agency bookings across the major buying groups, recorded total Australian agency ad spend down 3.4% year-on-year in August 2026, with digital falling 7.1%.[3] Outdoor agency bookings rose 10.7% in that same August period, the clearest outlier in the SMI dataset.
The two data sets measure different things: OMA figures are net revenue reported by members, while SMI tracks gross agency bookings. Read side by side, they point the same way: outdoor is growing while other channels slip.
OMA chief executive Elizabeth McIntyre said the format's appeal comes down to its consistency. "In Out of Home brands are getting a non-fragmented, trusted broadcast medium that delivers results," McIntyre said.[1]
Digital screens hold their share; a new format enters the count
Digital OOH (DOOH), screens in roadside, transit, retail and public space environments that serve dynamic, data-driven ads, accounted for 77% of total OOH net revenue in Q3 2026, up from 76% in Q3 2025.[1] Q2 sat at 77.1%, so that share has stayed stable across all three quarters of 2026.[2]
Hyped Media, which runs a national fleet of LED billboard trucks, has joined the OMA as a media owner member, the association said alongside the results. It is also a member of MOVE, the audience measurement system OOH buyers use to plan and trade outdoor inventory.[1] Hyped Media managing director James Henry said measurement has become the admission price for serious budget consideration. "Mobile billboards have always delivered impact, but impact alone isn't enough to earn a bigger place in the media plan," Henry said.[1]
What agencies should watch in Q4
For agencies and brand teams reviewing Q4 allocations, the OMA's Q4 2026 figures are due in early 2027. Outdoor has grown every quarter this year while digital agency bookings turned negative in August.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
James Dore is Strategy Director at Bushnote, a leader in SEO and AEO in Australia. He writes on search, AI and the technology decisions shaping government and industry.
