UK Programmatic Ad Spending and Trends

In a Saturated Market, CTV and DOOH Are Seeing the Most Growth

Report by Bill Fisher  | Jan 18, 2024
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Executive Summary
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
The UK’s programmatic space may be mature, but it continues to evolve
Programmatic display advertising is approaching saturation in the UK
More direct purchase paths and mobile inventory dominate, but CTV is seeing good traction
The new growth areas are those where programmatic has been slower to take off
A multichannel approach is the next step for programmatic campaigns
Insider Intelligence Interviews
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
The UK is a mature programmatic market, but innovation and evolution continue apace, particularly in the connected TV and out-of-home environments. The next step for programmatic practitioners is to invest in multichannel campaign capabilities.
Topics
Programmatic Ad Spending
Programmatic Advertising
UK
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
The UK’s programmatic space may be mature, but it continues to evolve
Programmatic display advertising is approaching saturation in the UK
More direct purchase paths and mobile inventory dominate, but CTV is seeing good traction
The new growth areas are those where programmatic has been slower to take off
A multichannel approach is the next step for programmatic campaigns
Insider Intelligence Interviews
Sources
Media Gallery

More display advertising spend is channeled through programmatic pipes in the UK than anywhere else in the world. In such a mature market, most growth is now being seen in “edge” markets, where programmatic has been embraced later, like digital out-of-home (DOOH) and connected TV (CTV).

Key Question: Which areas of digital display in the UK will see the biggest growth in programmatic trading?

Nearly All Digital Display Ad Spend Is Now Programmatic, Up From a Quarter 10 Years Ago (% of total UK digital display ad spending, 2013-2024)
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Key Stat: Programmatic digital display ad spending in the UK is close to saturation. It will account for 96.0% of the overall digital display market this year.

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    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. The UK’s programmatic space may be mature, but it continues to evolve
    3. Programmatic display advertising is approaching saturation in the UK
    1. More direct purchase paths and mobile inventory dominate, but CTV is seeing good traction
    2. The new growth areas are those where programmatic has been slower to take off
    3. A multichannel approach is the next step for programmatic campaigns
    1. Insider Intelligence Interviews
    2. Sources
    3. Media Gallery

    Charts in This Report

    Nearly All Digital Display Ad Spend Is Now Programmatic, Up From a Quarter 10 Years Ago (% of total UK digital display ad spending, 2013-2024)The Open Marketplace Continues to Get Squeezed as More Direct Purchase Paths Curry Favor (% of total UK programmatic digital display ad spending, by transaction type, 2013-2025)
    Mobile Now Dominates the Programmatic Advertising Mix, but CTV Has Joined the Party (% of total UK programmatic digital display ad spending, by device, 2013 & 2024)UK Programmatic Connected TV (CTV) Ad Spending Peaked During the Pandemic, and Strong Growth Remains (billions, % change, and % of CTV digital display ad spending, 2020-2025)
    The DOOH Market Is Displaying an Accelerated Shift Toward Programmatic Trading (UK programmatic DOOH ad spending, millions, % change, and % of DOOH ad spending, 2020-2025)Multichannel Campaigns Hit KPIs Most of the Time (% of UK agency and brand marketers, Q3 2022)

    Interviewed for This Report

    Virginie Dremeaux
    FreeWheel
    Vice President, Marketing and Communications, International
    Interviewed December 15, 2023
    James Grant
    Equativ
    Vice President, Head of Partnerships and Strategy, Advanced TV
    Interviewed December 18, 2023
    John Stoneman
    TripleLift
    Senior Vice President, Global Demand
    Interviewed December 15, 2023
    Hunter Terry
    Lotame
    Head of CTV
    Interviewed December 14, 2023
    Csaba Szabo
    Integral Ad Science
    Managing Director, EMEA
    Interviewed December 15, 2023
    Sam Wilson
    Magnite
    Managing Director, CTV, EMEA
    Interviewed December 15, 2023

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    authors

    Bill Fisher

    Contributors

    Vivian Dong
    Associate Forecasting Analyst
    Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf
    Senior Analyst, Digital Advertising & Media