DOOH Exec Argues AI's Real Impact Is Backend, Not Creative
2026-10-30 · via Digital Signage Today
Denys Kanel, owner and CEO of DOOH company Unique Media, argues that artificial intelligence's biggest effect on digital out-of-home advertising will not be on what appears on screens but on the systems that sell and manage that inventory. The piece runs as a bylined opinion column on Digital Signage Today, not as a product announcement, but it lays out a specific argument operators and media owners should weigh against the marketing noise around AI-generated creative.
Kanel's framing splits the industry into two groups. For media owners running networks, he says AI's value is in what he calls "revenue intelligence": combining direct sales commitments, programmatic demand, occupancy history, audience data and pricing into a single system that flags which inventory is likely to sell, which assets are underpriced, and which advertisers are repeat buyers worth a direct sales conversation. For buyers and planners, he says AI could let someone start from a campaign goal rather than a screen list, with software building out scenarios across markets, formats and transaction types and comparing audience fit, availability and price.
A notable part of the argument is about data hygiene rather than algorithms. Kanel says none of this works unless inventory metadata is accurate and consistent: venue classification, geolocation, dimensions, orientation, current imagery and creative capabilities. He calls metadata "part of the media product" rather than back-office administration, which is a pointed claim given how uneven screen inventory data has historically been across networks and SSPs.
He also predicts AI could blur the line between direct and programmatic sales by giving owners a single view of what's booked, what's open, and where programmatic demand is accelerating, so pricing and allocation decisions can be made in near real time rather than siloed by sales channel.
What's missing
The piece does not name specific AI tools, vendors or platforms Unique Media uses, nor does it cite measurable results, timelines or figures tied to the company's own deployment. It reads as a thesis statement rather than a case study, and readers looking for a product, a pricing model or a named integration will not find one here. Kanel also does not address the practical hurdles of getting competing media owners and ad tech vendors to agree on shared metadata standards, which is the precondition his whole argument rests on.
For operators, the piece is less a news item than a prompt: if AI's near-term value in DOOH is in yield management, inventory discovery and sales automation rather than flashy screen content, that has implications for where networks should be investing their AI budgets and whose software they adopt first.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from Digital Signage Today for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
For owners, AI should surface opportunities, automate repetitive processes and make increasingly large networks easier to operate. For buyers, it should make inventory easier to discover, compare, activate and measure.
October 30, 2026 by Denys Kanel — Owner/CEO, Unique Media
AI could become the most important technology shift in digital out-of-home advertising since programmatic buying, not because of what it puts on the screen, but because of what it can make possible behind it.
DOOH has never been more advanced. Media owners can operate thousands of connected screens, manage direct and programmatic demand, and understand audiences with increasing precision. Buyers have access to more inventory, data, and sophisticated planning and workflow tools than ever before.
AI creates an opportunity to make all of those capabilities work more intelligently together. It could help the industry grow by connecting demand, inventory and transaction methods that still too often operate separately.
Much of the conversation around AI in advertising has centered on generative creative, dynamic messaging and personalization.
At my company, we have already begun translating these capabilities into practical applications through the systems we use to manage digital media, and it's helped us manage digital media more intelligently, responsively and efficiently. It's exciting, but the bigger transformation could be one consumers never see: how media is planned, discovered, priced, sold, operated and measured.
For media owners, AI could become revenue intelligence
Media owners already generate enormous amounts of data about their networks. The opportunity is turning that information into action.
Imagine technology continuously evaluating direct commitments, programmatic demand, historical occupancy, audience patterns, pricing and available inventory. Instead of simply showing a sales team what is available, AI could identify what is most likely to sell, surface inventory experiencing increased demand, identify assets that may be underpriced, or recognize advertisers repeatedly buying particular markets and formats.
I am already seeing the value of connecting these signals in my own business. By looking at direct commitments alongside programmatic demand, we have a more complete picture of where demand is building and where inventory may have a stronger revenue opportunity. The next step is using AI to make that intelligence immediate, giving media owners greater control over pricing, allocation and yield as conditions change.
Programmatic activity already provides valuable sales intelligence. We have used programmatic buying patterns to identify advertisers repeatedly purchasing our inventory and turn that behavior into a signal for the direct sales team. AI can make that process far more systematic, surfacing advertisers, categories, markets and formats where a broader commercial opportunity may exist.
AI isn't replacing a salesperson; it's giving sales teams a more complete understanding of demand and where the next revenue opportunity may exist.
For buyers, AI could transform planning and workflow
Buyers face a different challenge: navigating an expanding universe of inventory. Planning and workflow platforms already allow buyers to search inventory, map locations, analyze audiences, compare formats and manage campaigns. AI can take that evolution further.
A buyer could begin with a campaign objective rather than a list of screens. They may want to reach a particular audience across several markets, build frequency around retail locations or find high-impact formats within a specific budget.
AI could evaluate inventory across media owners, formats, markets and transaction methods. It could then build multiple scenarios and identify the strongest combination of audience, location, availability and price. The buyer would find the best media opportunity and determine whether direct, private marketplace or another transaction method is the best way to activate.
That same intelligence could reduce hours spent moving between inventory databases, maps, spreadsheets and proposals. It could also surface relevant networks a planner might not otherwise discover, giving more media owners an opportunity to compete for a brief.
The buyer still determines the strategy. Technology handles more of the searching, organizing and comparing surrounding it.
Inventory will need to become smarter, too
For AI to recommend media, it first needs to understand it. A screen is more than an impression opportunity. Location, dimensions, orientation, venue type, audience, visibility, creative capabilities and physical environment all contribute to its value.
As AI becomes more involved, accurate inventory information becomes increasingly important. Media owners need consistent naming and venue classifications, accurate geolocation and specifications, current imagery, and clear creative capabilities across planning and programmatic platforms.
Metadata can no longer be treated simply as administrative information. It becomes part of the media product. Media owners that make their inventory easiest for technology to understand may ultimately make it easiest for buyers to discover.
Direct and programmatic could become one conversation
AI could also help reduce the divide between direct and programmatic buying. Advertisers don't necessarily think of a screen as direct or programmatic inventory. Those are simply different ways to purchase the same physical asset.
For owners, the opportunity is instant visibility: what is booked, what is available, where programmatic demand is accelerating and where direct pipeline may justify protecting inventory or adjusting price. At my company, we will also lean on AI to monitor pacing, delivery and screen health, as well as to recommend corrective action when campaigns fall behind and identify in-flight campaigns that have a logical upsell opportunity.
Over time, this intelligence will inform bigger decisions for our business, from forecasting demand to identifying new markets and formats where demand repeatedly exceeds supply, and help us determine where to deploy or acquire inventory next.
The goal shouldn't be another AI dashboard. For owners, AI should surface opportunities, automate repetitive processes and make increasingly large networks easier to operate. For buyers, it should make inventory easier to discover, compare, activate and measure.
Ultimately, owners can see and respond to demand more immediately, and buyers can find the best media regardless of how it is sold.
And automation shouldn't make every DOOH asset look the same. Better technology should make the differences between locations, formats, audiences and environments easier to understand.
AI's biggest impact on DOOH may be connecting the dots between inventory and demand, giving media owners more immediate control, helping buyers find better opportunities and ultimately making it easier to buy, sell and scale across the entire marketplace.
Founder & CEO of Unique Media, a growing DOOH media and technology company transforming how brands connect with audiences and how media owners monetize their networks. I focus on building scalable businesses, developing strategic partnerships, and driving innovation across media, technology, and advertising. At Unique Media, we combine premium digital advertising networks, proprietary technology, and programmatic solutions to create opportunities for brands, advertisers, and media owners. My vision is to shape the future of DOOH through innovation, sustainable growth, and long-term value.
OptiSigns is a cloud-based digital signage software that helps organizations create, manage, and scale engaging screen content across any display. With powerful integrations, flexible scheduling, and easy remote management, OptiSigns makes digital signage simple for teams of any size.
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