Quick answer: Digital out-of-home advertising can be sold by estimated audience impressions, a fixed period on a screen or a network package. Location, screen format, time of day, share of voice and demand affect the quote. Media is only part of the total campaign cost.
A roadside billboard and a screen inside a grocery store serve different purposes. One may offer broad visibility along a route. The other may reach people in a specific shopping environment. Comparing their prices without considering the audience and placement can lead to the wrong buying decision.
This guide uses U.S. dollar examples. External benchmarks were checked November 3, 2026. They provide context for a quote, not a national rate card or a promise of Floodlight pricing.
How DOOH advertising is priced
| Model | What you are buying | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | Delivery priced per 1,000 estimated audience impressions | Who supplies the audience estimate, which fees are included and what delivery is forecast? |
| Fixed flight | A defined schedule or share of voice over a period | How long is each spot, how often does it repeat and what hours are included? |
| Network package | A group of screens or venues | Which screens are guaranteed, and can locations be substituted? |
A screen play is not necessarily 1 person seeing the ad. Audience impressions are estimated using the measurement method for that environment. Ask how the provider connects the play schedule, venue traffic and opportunity to see the screen.
Our digital out-of-home buying guide explains the inventory landscape. Use this cost guide alongside it when reviewing proposals.
What are useful CPM reference points?
In its September 2026 overview, OOH buying platform AdQuick lists roughly $3-$20 CPM for standard programmatic screens and $35-$85 or more for premium airport inventory. These are that vendor’s published ranges, not independently audited averages or Floodlight rates. Your selected screens may price differently.
Before using a range in a budget, request a forecast for the exact geography, venues, hours, flight and creative format. Ask whether the number is a media CPM or an all-in CPM that includes data, technology and management.
Which screen types change the cost?
| Environment | Buying consideration | Creative consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside digital billboards | Route, viewing direction, traffic and share of voice | Large type and a message readable at a glance |
| Retail and grocery screens | Store locations, screen position and shopping context | A clear product, offer and brand |
| Gyms and other place-based venues | Audience fit, dwell context and network coverage | A version built for the screen and environment |
| Airports and transit | Terminal, route, passenger flow and premium placement | Readable messaging suited to the viewing distance |
Avoid assuming that every screen in a venue reaches the same audience. A placement at a checkout, a lobby and a parking entrance can have different exposure conditions. Request a screen list or a clearly defined inventory specification, including exclusions that matter to your brand.
How much delivery could a media budget buy?
Estimated impressions = media budget / CPM x 1,000. These hypothetical scenarios are arithmetic examples. They are not bookable packages, guaranteed audience counts or estimates of unique reach.
| Media only | At $10 CPM | At $20 CPM | At $50 CPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | 200,000 estimated impressions | 100,000 estimated impressions | 40,000 estimated impressions |
| $5,000 | 500,000 estimated impressions | 250,000 estimated impressions | 100,000 estimated impressions |
| $10,000 | 1,000,000 estimated impressions | 500,000 estimated impressions | 200,000 estimated impressions |
A fixed-price screen schedule may not be interchangeable with those scenarios. Review the actual share of voice, number of plays, audience estimate and measurement period. A low effective CPM does not automatically mean that the placement fits the customers you need to reach.
What other costs belong in the plan?
- Creative adaptation: screen dimensions, static or motion versions, animation limits and revisions.
- Booking and buying: management, technology, data or verification charges, where applicable.
- Measurement: reporting, brand studies, website analysis or store-visit studies with an agreed scope.
- Commitments: minimum flights, cancellation rules, substitutions and underdelivery remedies.
- Production rights: approved photography, music and talent usage where the format requires them.
Ask for the total commitment in dollars as well as the CPM. A proposal should make it possible to identify media, services and optional studies separately. Do not assume a platform’s advertised minimum is the same as an agency’s managed campaign minimum.
How should a local business choose locations?
Start with the area customers can reasonably travel from and the places where the business needs visibility. A restaurant near commuter routes has a different job for DOOH than a specialty retailer drawing customers from several towns.
Choose screens because their audience and context fit that job. A premium address can be useful for a launch or an event, but a landmark screen should not consume the budget simply because it makes an impressive photograph.
For an initial test, concentrate the geography enough to produce a coherent presence. Keep a record of the selected venues, delivery period and other promotions running at the same time. That record is needed when interpreting any change in store visits or sales.
What can DOOH measurement establish?
The IAB DOOH Measurement Guide separates audience measurement, ad delivery, attribution and incrementality. Ask which of those your proposal includes. A modeled audience estimate is different from a verified sale or proof that the campaign created an additional visit.
Read our store-visit attribution guide before treating a foot-traffic report as a count of customers. Coverage, matching and study design affect what the result means.
Questions to ask before booking
- Which screens, venues, hours and flight dates are included?
- What spot length and share of voice will the brand receive?
- Are the audience estimates and reporting methods disclosed?
- What creative files and approvals are required?
- Which costs sit outside media, and what is the total commitment?
- How are substitutions, outages and underdelivery handled?
Frequently asked questions
Can a small business buy DOOH? Some inventory supports focused local buys. Availability, booking terms and useful audience scale determine whether a particular budget is workable. Get a forecast before committing.
Does a digital billboard price include constant display? Usually the schedule must define the brand’s share of the rotation. Confirm the slot length, repeat pattern and operating hours instead of assuming exclusive use.
Floodlight plans and manages DOOH campaigns. Share your locations, audience, dates and budget so the proposal can reflect the screens and measurement that fit the business.