The time for talking is now over and 2026 will be the year that Programmatic OOH starts to really deliver for advertisers, writes Aoife Hudson.
For the past five years, the Irish media industry has heard a lot about programmatic. A lot of that conversation has been educational: panel discussions unpacking the mechanics, whitepapers showcasing global case studies, and endless presentations about the future of PROOH.
2025 marked a real growth year for Talon in the programmatic space – but the irony is, it still feels new, despite the fact it’s already happening at scale.
At Talon, programmatic hasn’t been a side project or a prediction. It’s been a constant in our boardroom for half a decade. We built the pipes, trained the teams, and delivered campaigns that prove what programmatic can do when it’s treated as a strategic channel rather than a novelty to be trialled.
We now need the conversation to shift from explanation to acceleration.
My experience in the programmatic space has shown me that the value doesn’t come from the tech alone – it comes from what the tech enables.
Audience first planning that behaves like digital, but with physical impact: OOH will never lose its broadcast power. That mass, public presence is its unique strength. But with programmatic, we can now make location work much harder. It allows us to buy moments rather than just frames – real, context-rich moments backed by data.
Classic lightboxes build brands. Programmatic expands the opportunity, allowing advertisers to invest efficiently across relevant consumption moments that sit outside a classic two-week brand campaign. It steps in when we are chasing a high value audience with a specific goal. Each plays a distinct role in the media mix, and together they create a more powerful, more responsive OOH ecosystem.
Real agility over flexibility: DOOH has always offered flexibility, but programmatic takes that to an entirely different level. We can shift creative by hour, fuel decisions with first party data, rebalance weight mid-flight, and optimise spend based on live insights. Whether that is a brand who wants to capitalise on lunch time, warm summer moments, consumers who use competitor offerings, or supporting stores where needed with live sales data, that isn’t future thinking, these capabilities exist and have been activated.
Proof that programmatic enhances not cannibalises our offering: There was an early industry fear that programmatic would erode classic OOH planning or dilute investment. Our years of testing and experimentation have shown the opposite. When we’re aiming to shift brand metrics, classic OOH principles still apply -and they continue to work. But when a brand wants presence outside its brand building bursts, at key cultural, behavioural or category moments, programmatic lets us deliver that efficiently and intelligently across the full calendar year.
Rather than cannibalising spend, programmatic has brought new budgets, new strategies and new energy from digitally minded marketers. It broadens what OOH can deliver and expands the space in which brands can show up.
Measurable and attributable results: Delivered audiences, tracking exposure against call to action, play to impression ratios, we have proved that OOH can behave like a modern performance channel, whilst still delivering on impact.
A fully integrated ecosystem: 870+ screens, 5 media owners, and 100% of key urban cities across the market. There is now scale in the market, the infrastructure is built; campaigns are happening here and now.
2026 will be a defining moment for programmatic. Last month, JCDecaux launched programmatic trading across their inventory portfolio including premium placements across the roadside and retail environments. This development will drive growth in the channel this year.
In 2025, more than 30 new brands activated programmatically with Talon, and media billings grew by over 100%. It wasn’t an experimental year; it was a breakthrough one. We are now ensuring we are set up to build on the groundwork laid over the last five years. This includes launching our proprietary DSP ATLAS_ in Ireland, a unique tool which will enable increased optimisation and unlock new data and targeting opportunities in the market. And we are only getting started – more on that very soon.
Our depth of experience, combined with the expansion of high-quality inventory puts us in a strong position for the year ahead. Programmatic OOH in Ireland is moving from momentum to maturity and we’re ready to lead the next chapter.
Aoife Hudson is Deputy Managing Director of Talon Ireland
