Mada Media signed advertising contracts worth about Dhs1.5 billion in the first half of 2026, covering 683 digital and non-digital outdoor advertising assets across Dubai.
The company said 80 local and regional advertising companies took part in tenders during the period, pointing to continued demand for outdoor advertising opportunities in the emirate.
Digital shift accelerates
The tenders covered 27 digital unipoles, 20 bridge banners, four static hoardings, as well as advertising displays on lighting poles and flags.
Of the bridge banners, six were digital and 14 were static. Mada Media also included plans to convert a significant share of existing advertising assets to digital formats, using newer display technologies and international safety standards.
The move is part of the company’s efforts to increase digital advertising, attract new investors and improve the efficiency of its advertising assets.
Support for local firms
Mada Media also launched an exclusive tender for emerging national advertising companies that are members of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME). Eighteen companies participated.
The initiative is intended to give smaller UAE-based advertising companies greater access to investment opportunities and support their growth in the outdoor advertising market.
Metro rights expand
During the first half of 2026, Mada Media also signed two naming rights agreements for Dubai Metro stations on the Red Line.
The company said one agreement was with a local brand and the other, for the first time, with a leading global brand. Further details are expected to be announced later.
Naming rights for Dubai Metro stations are among the investment opportunities overseen by Mada Media. The company also plans to expand naming rights opportunities across stations on the Green and Red lines.
Matar Al Tayer, Chairman of Mada Media, said: “The participation of 80 local and regional advertising companies in the tenders launched by the company is an indication of the expanding investor base and strong demand for the investment opportunities offered by the sector. It also confirms the success of the approach adopted by Mada Media in managing and developing the OOH advertising ecosystem based on principles that balance enhancing the economic viability of assets, providing high-quality opportunities for the private sector, and elevating the quality of Dubai’s urban landscape.”
Mansoor Al Sabahi, CEO of Mada Media, said: “The results achieved during the first half of 2026 confirm the company’s successful implementation of its plans to develop and support the growth of a more efficient and sustainable OOH advertising ecosystem. This is demonstrated by the strong interest from local and regional advertising companies in the diverse investment opportunities being offered, as well as the variety of advertising assets included in these tenders, which provided investors with opportunities to diversify and develop their investments by encouraging the digitalisation of a large number of these assets and promoting the use of the latest technologies and programmatic advertising, which will bring significant transformation to the OOH advertising market in the coming period.”
The company said its next phase will focus on further digitalisation, new advertising technologies, diversified investment opportunities and continued support for local and international companies.
Mada Media said its wider strategy is aligned with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, while also aiming to develop a model for managing outdoor advertising that could be expanded into other markets.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
