Call for Tightened Oversight and Responsibility in Out-of-Home Advertising Sector
In the ever-evolving world of advertising, the digital out-of-home (DOOH) industry in India is projected to witness significant growth. A recent report by EY, titled 'Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) in India: A Growth Story', highlights key recommendations to foster this expansion and ensure a responsible and sustainable industry.
The report, published on July 4, 2025, by guest author RoshanSpace Brandcom's managing director, emphasises the potential of DOOH, which is expected to grow by 78% year-on-year. This growth is driven by factors such as smarter targeting, evolving urban infrastructure, and a digitally connected, mobile audience. Sectors like real estate, OTT platforms, quick-commerce brands, and major sporting events are contributing to this surge, all demanding responsive, location-specific messaging.
The report also underscores the need for innovation and advertiser confidence in the medium. With its agility, scale, and immersive appeal, DOOH presents a high-impact engagement platform. Continuous technological innovation and the integration of digital screens with static formats add value for advertisers, positioning DOOH as a vital component in India’s evolving media landscape.
However, the report also acknowledges the current regulatory environment as fragmented, with inconsistent policies, design standards, and enforcement mechanisms varying across cities. This inconsistency leads to confusion among advertisers, municipal authorities, and the public, and allows unscrupulous operators to thrive, compromising safety and credibility.
To address these challenges, the EY report proposes a unified, locally sensitive governance approach. It recommends moving from fragmented and inconsistent enforcement towards a governance framework that is adaptive to local urban contexts, ensuring the industry becomes more responsible, safer, and better integrated into urban aesthetics.
The report encourages uniform standards for permissions, safety, data transparency, and accountability. It also advocates aligning DOOH growth with urban infrastructure and aesthetics, recommending that India follow the lead of leading cities that seamlessly integrate advertisements into the urban environment, ensuring OOH media enhances rather than clutters cityscapes, thereby improving public safety and the medium’s long-term viability.
For those interested in staying updated on the latest insights and analysis in the DOOH industry, the report's author offers a Newsletter. This Newsletter is delivered directly to subscribers' inboxes, providing a convenient platform for keeping abreast of industry developments.
The report's comprehensive analysis can also be found on various platforms, including Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as on the website, which boasts a community of over 2 million industry professionals. The website's mobile application, available for download, allows users to access all industry-related information right on their smartphones. The application delivers updates in real-time and allows users to save their favorite articles for easy reference.
In conclusion, the EY report presents a clear path for the growth and regulation of the digital out-of-home (DOOH) industry in India, emphasising the need for a unified, locally sensitive governance approach to sustain and nurture the sector’s growth.
- The report by EY, published by RoshanSpace Brandcom's managing director, also suggests the importance of innovation and advertiser confidence in the digital out-of-home (DOOH) medium, emphasizing its role in the evolving media landscape, particularly in sectors like finance, real estate, and business.
- To ensure the growth of the DOOH industry in India, the report proposes the need for uniform standards, focusing on permissions, safety, data transparency, and accountability, as well as aligning this growth with urban infrastructure and aesthetics, similar to leading cities that integrate advertisements into the urban environment without cluttering cityscapes.
- For those keen on staying updated with the latest insights and analysis in the DOOH industry, the report's author offers a newsletter, delivered directly to subscribers' inboxes, and the comprehensive analysis can be found on various media platforms, including news, finance, and technology-focused websites and social media, providing a convenient platform for keeping abreast of industry developments.
