Outdoor advertising matters more in the UAE than almost anywhere. Campaign Middle East reported in June 2026 that out-of-home makes up 20 to 25 percent of UAE ad spend, against under 10 percent globally, and the past year has reshaped how it is bought in Dubai.
Mada Media, Dubai's new landlord
Dubai Law No. 20 of 2024, issued on 12 September 2024, set up Mada Media to manage and operate advertising sites in the emirate, chaired by Mattar Al Tayer. The Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Municipality can hand their advertising functions and assets to it. Since 24 April 2025, a single permit platform covers roadside sites, public transport, commercial vehicles and private land and buildings. Mada operates under the Dubai Investment Fund.
The money
- Dubai awarded about 1.5 billion dirhams of out-of-home contracts across 683 assets in the first half of 2026, with about 80 bidders, Khaleej Times reported on 28 September.
- In the first quarter alone, Mada signed 971.3 million dirhams of contracts on five to seven year terms.
- A PwC study cited by Mada puts Dubai at about 73 percent of UAE out-of-home spend, in a market worth about 3.5 billion dirhams gross in 2025.
- Satisfaction with permit services rose from 77 percent in 2025 to 90 percent between January and July 2026, according to the same report.
More screens
Digital is growing inside that market. In April 2026 Hills Advertising and Mada agreed 94 bridge banners, 20 of them becoming digital screens, plus lamppost banners, on Sheikh Zayed Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Al Khail, Expo and Al Wasl roads. Communicate reported that digital is now almost a third of UAE out-of-home spend. On 2 October, Hypermedia signed an eight-year deal for AI and programmatic retail media at Marina Mall Abu Dhabi, and Elevision, which runs screens in residential buildings and at Dubai Design District, added four residential circuits in January.
Transit, and a ten-year plan
Info Media Group, which runs transit advertising, set out a ten-year plan on 2 October covering 21 priority markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, ten of them in the region, with its Dubai business leading regional expansion and Saudi Arabia as its next market. In the UAE it holds more than 9,000 transit advertising assets under concessions with the transport authorities of Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, plus a taxi network in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, reaching about 20 million passengers a year. Its general manager, Safwat Abdulkhalek, said transit and out-of-home are growing faster in this region than almost anywhere else.
The big operators
Multiply Media Group combined BackLite, Viola and Media 247 in June 2025 and runs about 3,000 units, including more than 75 premium sites on Sheikh Zayed Road. Alongside it sit Hills, Hypermedia, Elevision and Info Media Group, among others.
What it means for brands
- Permits run through one system in Dubai now. Ask your media owner which permits a campaign needs and who applies, especially for vehicles and private buildings.
- Long contracts mean stable inventory. Media owners on five to seven year terms will invest in screens and data, so expect more digital and programmatic options.
- Digital changes the creative. Screens allow dayparting, several messages and quick changes, which suits Ramadan, sales and live events.
- Measure it. Use a dedicated QR code or short link per site or campaign, so outdoor responses show up in analytics.
- Mock it up before buying. A design that works on a phone often fails on a bridge banner seen at speed.
The QR code generator on this site creates trackable codes for each placement, and the ad mockup generator shows how creative looks in context before it goes to print.
