Intersection CEO Chris Grosso targets standardized out-of-home measurement for growth

Standardizing measurement across digital out-of-home (DOOH) networks addresses the primary friction point preventing U.S. advertisers from committing larger budget shares to the medium. By shifting from static displays to live content platforms, Intersection is positioning urban infrastructure as a high-frequency alternative to traditional digital channels. This strategy forces a convergence between streaming video and physical environments, as creators seek mass-reach distribution outside of saturated mobile ecosystems. Watch for the adoption rate of the new Ipsos measurement framework among major U.S. media buyers to gauge if DOOH advertising revenue growth can successfully capture a larger percentage of omnichannel spend.

Intersection operates one of the largest digital out-of-home networks in the United States through its LinkNYC program, which replaced thousands of payphones across New York City with connected kiosks offering free Wi-Fi, device charging, and advertising screens. The company has expanded beyond New York, and its push for standardized measurement reflects a broader industry effort to make DOOH budgets comparable to digital video and CTV spend. In early 2025, the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) launched a unified measurement framework called OOH Measurement Standards to bring consistency to audience counting across operators, a move that directly supports the kind of standardization Grosso is advocating. Ipsos, the research firm mentioned in the source story, has been a key partner in developing audience estimation models for DOOH, and its involvement signals that major research houses are treating the category with the same rigor applied to television and digital video.

On the business side, DOOH spending in the U.S. has been climbing steadily. Out-of-home ad revenue in the United States reached $10.5 billion in 2024, a 7.3% year-over-year increase according to OAAA and PwC data, with digital formats accounting for roughly 37% of that total. That growth trajectory is attracting new entrants and consolidation alike. Vistar Media acquired Place Exchange in late 2024 to build a full-stack programmatic DOOH platform, combining supply-side and demand-side capabilities in a single system. The deal underscores how programmatic infrastructure is becoming a competitive differentiator in DOOH, much as it did in digital display a decade earlier. For Intersection, standardized measurement is not just a nice-to-have but a prerequisite for competing with these vertically integrated platforms for national brand budgets.

From a technical and content standpoint, Intersection's strategy of delivering live sports and local programming on its screens mirrors a trend across the DOOH sector. Clear Channel Outdoor announced in 2025 that it had integrated live sports content into its digital billboard network across 25 U.S. markets, partnering with broadcasters to air real-time game footage and highlights. This approach increases dwell time and creates premium inventory that commands higher CPMs than static creative. The convergence of live content and programmatic buying is also being tested internationally: JCDecaux reported that programmatic DOOH transactions grew 40% year-over-year in 2024 across its global network, suggesting that the measurement and content strategies Intersection is pursuing align with global best practices for the medium.