Run DOOH campaigns in Columbus on AdQuick across 4,800+ digital screens -- I-71, I-70, I-270, CMH airport, the Short North, OSU/the Oval, and Easton Town Center. CPMs from $4 programmatic to $22+ on Short North and Downtown LEDs; activate from $1,500 through OSU football, Arnold Sports, and Memorial Tournament takeovers.
Campaigns activate from $1,500 on DSPs up into six-figure Buckeyes football, NHL All-Star Game, and national flagship takeovers. Columbus is the thirty-second-largest US DMA and the fastest-growing major Ohio metro — shaped by Ohio State football, Intel's $28B+ Licking County semiconductor fab, and a major corporate HQ concentration.
DOOH Advertising in Columbus: 2026 Pricing, Venues & Buying Guide
DOOH advertising in Columbus covers 5,000+ digital screens across Downtown Columbus, Short North, Arena District, German Village, and Easton Town Center LEDs, John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), I-70 / I-71 / I-270 Outer Loop / I-670 digital bulletins, Ohio Stadium, Nationwide Arena (2026 NHL All-Star host), Huntington Park, Lower.com Field, and thousands of place-based screens. CPMs range from $4 on programmatic open exchange to $22+ on Short North and Downtown Columbus premium LEDs.
Most Columbus campaigns blend these four inventory layers to build reach across Downtown, the Short North, the OSU corridor, and the surrounding suburbs.
Downtown core, Short North High Street, Arena District, Discovery District.
CMH, I-70, I-71, I-270 Outer Loop, I-670, US-33, US-23.
Ohio Stadium, Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park, Lower.com Field, Schottenstein Center, OSU campus.
Polaris, Easton, Dublin, Hilliard, Worthington, Powell, New Albany, German Village, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, offices, gyms.
Columbus CPMs sit below Cincinnati and Cleveland on some inventory but benefit from intense Ohio State football and Intel-driven corporate B2B premiums. The table below reflects AdQuick marketplace rates and Columbus benchmarks for Q2 2026.
| Venue Category | Typical Columbus CPM | Monthly Share-of-Voice Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short North / Downtown Columbus premium LEDs | $13–$22+ | $5K–$20K | Flagship awareness, OSU, Arts, dining, tourism |
| Arena District (Nationwide Arena, Huntington Park, Lower.com Field) | $12–$20 | $4K–$15K | Blue Jackets, Crew, Clippers, concerts, events |
| German Village / Brewery District / Italian Village | $11–$19 | $4K–$14K | Creative, dining, historic, young-adult |
| High Street / OSU Campus / Ohio State University District | $11–$19 | $4K–$14K | OSU students/faculty, college audience, game-day |
| CMH airport screens | $18–$30 | $7K–$24K | Travel, B2B, Intel executive, corporate |
| I-70 / I-71 / I-270 Outer Loop / I-670 digital bulletins | $5–$12 | $3K–$11K per unit | Reach, commuter frequency |
| Ohio Stadium / Schottenstein Center event-adjacent | $13–$24 (game weeks) / $7–$14 (off-peak) | $4K–$20K | Buckeyes football / basketball, game-day activation |
| Nationwide Arena / Huntington Park / Lower.com Field event-adjacent | $11–$20 | $3.5K–$14K | Blue Jackets, Clippers, Crew, concerts |
| Easton Town Center (Columbus's premier outdoor retail) | $11–$20 | $4K–$14K | Luxury retail, affluent, shopper marketing |
| Polaris Fashion Place / Polaris corridor | $10–$18 | $3K–$11K | Northern suburban retail, affluent |
| Dublin / Worthington / Westerville / New Albany affluent suburban | $10–$18 | $3K–$11K | Affluent suburban, Cardinal Health / Victoria's Secret HQ |
| Intel / Licking County / New Albany semiconductor corridor | $10–$18 | $3K–$11K | Tech B2B, semiconductor, emerging industrial |
| Upper Arlington / Grandview Heights / Clintonville affluent inner ring | $9–$17 | $3K–$10K | Affluent historic residential |
| Tuttle Crossing / Polaris / Mill Run retail corridor | $9–$17 | $3K–$10K | Shopper marketing, retail |
| COTA bus + shelters | $4–$10 | $1.5K–$5K | Urban commuter, Downtown pedestrian |
| Place-based (gyms, offices, restaurants, bars) | $7–$14 | $2K–$7K | Endemic verticals, sports bars, wellness |
| Office lobby / elevator screens (Captivate) | $10–$20 | $3K–$11K | B2B finance (Huntington, Nationwide), corporate |
| Retail media in-store screens | $8–$25 | Varies | Shopper marketing, CPG |
| Programmatic open exchange (blended) | $4–$10 | N/A (impression-based) | Always-on, mid-funnel |
Four pricing models apply; always clarify which is being quoted:
Standard for programmatic and most place-based.
Monthly flat rate for X% of loop on a given screen or cluster.
Some networks price per insertion.
PG deals on Vistar, Place Exchange, VIOOH.
The corridors, neighborhoods, and anchors that define where DOOH reach builds across the Columbus DMA.
Columbus is a developing programmatic DOOH market, with strong corporate B2B, retail, and OSU-driven sports adoption. Vistar, Hivestack, and Place Exchange all maintain meaningful Columbus inventory.
Plug into every major media owner — including Orange Barrel Media — and every programmatic SSP from one seat. Direct + programmatic Columbus inventory unified with mapping, creative delivery, and measurement.
Largest DOOH DSP with deep place-based, office, and Captivate inventory across the Columbus metro.
Network-centric DSP built on Broadsign's CMS footprint; strong on large-format and digital bulletins.
JCDecaux-aligned DSP with strength on CMH airport inventory.
Omnichannel DSP with DOOH as part of broader programmatic buys across Columbus.
Enterprise DSP with OpenPath pipes into DOOH supply for large programmatic buyers.
Cross-channel DSP with DOOH activation across Columbus inventory.
Self-serve DOOH DSP popular for SMB and mid-market Columbus campaigns.
SSP tied to the Broadsign CMS footprint across large-format and place-based.
OUTFRONT's SSP — strong on OUTFRONT-operated Columbus inventory.
JCDecaux's SSP — strong on CMH airport.
Global DOOH SSP with Columbus supply across multiple operators.
Strong on place-based, office, and Captivate corporate inventory.
| Deal Type | How It Works | Columbus Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Open exchange | Auction-based, any buyer wins | Budget-efficient always-on; suburban and place-based |
| Private marketplace (PMP) | Invite-only auction, curated | Corporate B2B PMPs, OSU-student audience PMPs |
| Programmatic guaranteed (PG) | Fixed price, reserved impressions | Downtown, Short North, Ohio Stadium corridor, CMH reserved at scale |
Columbus-specific contextual triggers buyers activate against programmatically:
Columbus DOOH uses Geopath-standard impressions alongside mobile-panel verification and foot traffic lift to close the loop from exposure to behavior — with Buckeyes game weeks driving measurable spikes.
Columbus DOOH foot traffic lift studies typically report 5–14% lift to exposed venues within a 30-day window, with Buckeyes game weeks exceeding 20%.
Aspect ratios, file formats, durations, and Columbus-specific creative considerations — from ODOT freeway static rules to scarlet-and-gray Buckeyes DCO.
The media owners, network operators, DSPs, and marketplaces that operate across Columbus DOOH inventory — including the Columbus-headquartered Orange Barrel Media.
Extensive Columbus freeway and arterial digital bulletin footprint.
Columbus freeway, Downtown, and COTA transit inventory.
Meaningful Columbus metro freeway digital bulletin network.
Columbus-headquartered distinctive DOOH operator with a meaningful local and national footprint; significant Columbus inventory presence including premium Short North, Downtown, and landmark placements.
CMH airport inventory.
Urban kiosks and street furniture.
Office lobby and elevator screens across Downtown, Dublin, Easton, New Albany.
Fuel station DOOH across the Columbus metro.
Rideshare and taxi toppers.
Bar, restaurant, gym place-based.
Aggregator / network for place-based.
AdQuick, Vistar Media, Broadsign Ads, VIOOH, StackAdapt, The Trade Desk (OpenPath DOOH), Adomni, Yahoo DSP.
AdQuick is the only marketplace aggregating direct inventory from every major Columbus media owner (Lamar, OUTFRONT, Clear Channel, Orange Barrel Media, JCDecaux, Captivate) alongside programmatic pDOOH in a single plan, with native mapping, creative delivery, and measurement. Positioned above the vendor landscape so buyers run a unified Columbus campaign across Downtown, Short North, Arena District, OSU, CMH, Easton, Polaris, Dublin / New Albany, freeway, and place-based without juggling multiple contracts.
State and municipal rules that govern Columbus outdoor advertising, plus the lead times that shape flighting windows — including Buckeyes game weeks and the 2026 NHL All-Star Game.
Representative media plans at three tiers — from a $2,800 test flight to a $150,000+ Ohio State football or NHL All-Star flagship takeover.
Programmatic-first launch around a single Short North, Downtown, or Dublin location for a 30-day run.
Blended direct + programmatic across Short North, Downtown, Arena District, freeway, and Dublin / Easton over eight weeks.
Full Columbus metro takeover across Downtown LEDs, Ohio Stadium, Nationwide Arena (NHL All-Star), CMH, affluent retail, corporate corridor, freeway ring, and programmatic.
The sports, cultural, and tentpole windows that drive Columbus DOOH demand — headlined by Buckeyes Saturdays and the 2026 NHL All-Star Game.
7–8 home games at Ohio Stadium; each draws 105K+ attendees. Game weeks spike Downtown, Short North, Campus, OSU High Street, I-70 / I-71 corridor, and CMH airport. Rivalry weeks (especially Michigan) and College Football Playoff windows see premium demand. 20–35% CPM premiums game weeks.
Columbus hosts the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend at Nationwide Arena. A major B2B and sponsor activation window. Downtown, Arena District, Short North, CMH airport spike for the 4-day event. 25–40% CPM premiums; book 8–16 weeks in advance.
MLS at Lower.com Field. Arena District spike on match days. Crew's 2020 + 2023 MLS Cup wins sustained high fan demand.
Nationwide Arena. Arena District, Downtown spike on game nights.
Greater Columbus Convention Center. 200K+ attendees for one of the world's largest multi-sport festivals (Arnold Schwarzenegger-founded). Downtown and Convention Center spike. Fitness, nutrition, supplement, apparel brand activation. 20–30% CPM premiums.
12 days; 900K+ attendees at the Ohio Expo Center. Agriculture, auto, family brand activation. Near-I-71 / 17th Ave spike.
Columbus's largest Independence Day fireworks and festival; Downtown spike.
PGA TOUR event at Muirfield Village, Dublin; Dublin and West corridor spike. Pro-am golf, luxury, financial, auto brand activation.
Route-adjacent inventory for fitness, hydration brand activation.
Columbus Pride, ComFest (Community Festival), and Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest all drive neighborhood-focused spikes.
Three paths to buy Columbus DOOH inventory, from direct media-owner contracts to a single unified AdQuick plan that includes Orange Barrel Media.
Contact Lamar, OUTFRONT, Clear Channel, Orange Barrel Media (OBM), JCDecaux, and Captivate separately. Best for flagship Short North, Downtown, or CMH buys; requires multiple contracts including OBM-specific inventory.
AdQuick, Vistar, The Trade Desk, or StackAdapt. Best for mid-market always-on; Buckeyes game-week PMPs and corporate B2B PMPs valuable.
Plan, price, buy, deliver, and measure across every Columbus DOOH layer — Downtown, Short North, Arena District, German Village, OSU, CMH, Easton, Polaris, Dublin / New Albany, Intel corridor, freeway, stadium, place-based, and programmatic — in one platform with unified reporting.
Answers to the most common questions about Columbus DOOH pricing, Orange Barrel Media, Ohio State football, Intel's semiconductor corridor, measurement, and regulations.
Price inventory by CPM and share-of-voice · Deliver creative to every network · Measure impressions, reach, frequency, and foot traffic lift from one dashboard
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