A smaller market than Dubai, and it is catching up.
Dubai takes about 73% of the UAE's out-of-home spend, and the trade press describes Abu Dhabi as underserved by comparison. That is changing: new roadside networks on the Corniche, screen networks on Yas and Saadiyat, and a forced-perspective 3D screen at Al Qana. Below: the screens, who sells them, the rules and when to launch.
The Abu Dhabi out-of-home market
UAE out-of-home spend reached about AED 3.5 billion in 2025, and Dubai accounts for around 73% of it (Khaleej Times, PwC study). Across the Gulf, outdoor took about a quarter of monitored ad spend, $2.21 billion from December 2024 to November 2025, second only to TV (Communicate, Ipsos data).
The players are consolidating and building. In June 2025, Abu Dhabi-based Multiply Group merged BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 into Multiply Media Group, with more than 3,000 advertising units across the UAE (Aletihad). In 2026, invidis described Abu Dhabi as underserved with digital out-of-home compared to Dubai, as the group rolled out LED totems along the main roads, including the Corniche (invidis, via Digital Signage Pulse). On the islands, Media Blends and Miral planned 35 screens on Yas Island in a first phase and more than 60 on Saadiyat in a second (Campaign Middle East).
Screens that suit a 3D billboard in Abu Dhabi
The Curve, Al Qana
BackLite MediaCurved corner LED, sold as forced-perspective 3DLaunched in March 2023 as the first forced-perspective 3D screen in Abu Dhabi, facing Khaleej Al Arabi Street, the main road from the airport (Campaign Middle East)
Star of the Nation, Nation Towers Galleria
OutreachFacade LED, 448 m² (28 x 16 m)A very large canvas on the Corniche, facing St. Regis Beach, near Emirates Palace and Etihad Towers (Campaign Middle East)
The Triple Crown, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street
BackLite MediaThree large roadside digital billboardsThree connected screens for one sequence, seen by commuters, residents and tourists (Campaign Middle East)
Yas Island network
Media Blends35 digital screens of several sizesAround Yas Bay, Etihad Arena, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Mall and Ferrari World (Campaign Middle East)
Digital Totem Networks, Corniche Street and Salam Street
Viola MediaRoadside LED totemsNot a 3D surface: one creative along the corridor from the Presidential Palace to Saadiyat Island (Campaign Middle East)
The Curve is the screen sold for an anamorphic film. Its visuals were reported to run as a 15-second loop every 120 seconds, so the film has to land its effect fast. Star of the Nation is a large flat facade: 3D there works as depth, not as a corner illusion. For more corner screens with a track record, see Dubai.
We found no documented anamorphic brand campaign in Abu Dhabi yet. The closest is at the 2024 Grand Prix, where McLaren, Mastercard and Beyond Properties used a 3D holographic screen at Yas Marina Circuit, a different technique from an anamorphic billboard (Campaign Middle East).
Who sells the space
- BackLite Media (Multiply Media Group): the Landmark Series, with The Triple Crown on Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street and the Al Qana screens including The Curve, with programmatic buying through VIOOH (Campaign Middle East).
- Viola Media (Multiply Media Group): the Digital Totem Networks on Corniche Street and Salam Street, digital bridge banners and a rooftop screen on Airport Road (Campaign Middle East).
- Outreach: Star of the Nation on the Corniche (Campaign Middle East).
- Media Blends: the Yas Island and Saadiyat Island networks, with Miral (Campaign Middle East).
Permits and content rules
- Sites: billboard sites on Abu Dhabi’s internal and main roads are managed by the Municipal Property Contracts Office of Abu Dhabi City Municipality, which presents them to advertising companies (Department of Municipalities and Transport).
- National standards: since 29 May 2025, the UAE Media Council’s 20 content standards apply. Standard 18 requires ads to respect the culture, identity and values of the UAE, with fines from AED 10,000 to AED 1 million (Gulf News).
- Property ads: since 1 January 2026, outdoor real estate ads need a Madhmoun permit number, a QR code linking to verified property details and ADREC branding, as summarised by dubizzle (dubizzle).
When to launch in Abu Dhabi
- 01
ADIPEC, the energy exhibition at ADNEC, in November: 2 to 5 November 2026, according to an event listing (Petroleum Australia).
- 02
Frieze Abu Dhabi, from 19 to 22 November 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, its first edition under the Frieze name (Frieze).
- 03
Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in early December: 3 to 6 December 2026 at Yas Marina Circuit (Bernama).
- 04
Ramadan, which moves with the lunar calendar. In 2025 it fell in March, the biggest advertising month of the year in the Gulf (Communicate).
A 2D video gets seen. A 3D one gets filmed.
Same screen, same media budget. A flat video plays like every other ad. Anamorphic 3D seems to leave the screen, so people stop, film it and share it.
From your media plan to a moment people film.
You bring the screens and the brand. We bring the idea, the 3D and the delivery, and we keep it simple for you from the first call to the day it goes live.
See your brand break the screen.
Tell us about your next campaign. We come back with a concept built for your screen and your brand: the idea, the twist, and how it plays out. Free, and yours to keep.
No commitment. If you would rather talk it through first, book a call and we look at your plan together.
The messages we get once the screen goes live.
“Thank you, the team loves it”
Brand marketing · EMEA
“Really great work, thanks a lot”
Social lead · UK
“Thanks again, it looks amazing”
Brand content · HQ
“Congratulations on a job exceptionally well done”
Nathalie Dubois · Head of Brand Marketing, Media & Comms Western Europe
“Great job, thank you”
Campaign lead · DACH
Everything you need to know.
Yes. The Curve at Al Qana, sold by BackLite Media, launched in March 2023 as the first forced-perspective 3D screen in Abu Dhabi. It faces Khaleej Al Arabi Street, the main road from the airport.
Roadside sites are allocated to advertising companies through Abu Dhabi City Municipality, so a brand books through an operator. The content must meet the UAE Media Council standards, and since 1 January 2026 outdoor property ads need a Madhmoun permit number and a QR code.
Yes. We can handle the media buying with the operators, so the screens are chosen for the creative and the budget stays under control. If you already have a media agency, we deliver the 3D film to their plan.
No Abu Dhabi operator publishes its rate card, so the media is quoted per screen and per date. The 3D film depends on how many screens and formats it has to fit. We quote both once the screens are chosen.
Yes. We create both flat and 3D versions and adapt them to every screen and media owner in your plan, whether that's one flagship billboard or dozens across markets. The technical back-and-forth is our job, not yours.
The creative is a separate line, but it never requires you to buy more media. You're making the impressions you've already paid for work harder: the same screens start generating organic reach on their own.
Ideas and early visuals can use AI. The final 3D is built by our own team, because a real screen with real people in front of it does not forgive approximation.