Columbus DOOH · OSU, the Short North, the 270 · June 2026
The Midwest's fastest-growing metro and a college town at scale, 2.23 million residents, the Short North, Ohio State and the Outerbelt, bookable by the hour, priced per play, matched to how Columbus actually moves.
Columbus billboard and DOOH (digital out-of-home) costs span from a few cents per play on urban panels to premium Short North, OSU / University District and landmark networks. On Blindspot, Columbus screens are booked by the hour and priced per play, entry plays start around $0.30, with no contracts or minimums.
The smart Columbus play isn't one screen for a month. It's the right screens at the right hours: the arteries at commute peak, the malls through the afternoon, the nightlife and tourist cores after dark.
Billboard ranking points
Scored by Blindspot's location intelligence on visibility, dwell time, and footfall (directional, 1–10). Every one is bookable by the hour on the platform.
The High Street arts district with its iconic arches, galleries and dining between downtown and campus.
The business core around the Ohio Statehouse and the LeVeque Tower, a dense daytime workforce.
Around Nationwide Arena, sports and entertainment crowds in concentrated bursts.
The Ohio State campus, 66,900 students, the largest young audience in the metro.
The premier retail and lifestyle destination, an affluent shopper audience.
Historic brick streets with dining and boutiques, an upscale lifestyle crowd.
The media estate · operator partners
Blindspot puts digital out-of-home (DOOH) and classic out-of-home from Columbus's media owners, Orange Barrel Media, OUTFRONT Media, Lamar Advertising among them, onto one map, bookable by the hour. Below: real partner screens across the city's prime zones.
Imagery from media-owner/operator partners. Locations indicative; live availability and per-screen pricing show in the platform.
Formats
From a highway bulletin to a single mall screen, Blindspot puts Columbus's digital out-of-home and classic OOH formats on one map, each priced per play and bookable by the hour. The formats that matter here:
Large-format LED on highways, bridges and boulevards, motion, dayparting and dynamic triggers.
Pedestrian-scale panels and citylights in high-footfall retail and downtown corridors.
Highway and arterial bulletins built for commuter frequency on the busiest routes.
High-intent shoppers from midday to evening across the city's retail destinations.
COTA bus and CMAX BRT screens plus stations and place-based screens with captive dwell.
Landmark and spectacular placements for brand statements in the city's signature locations.
Location insights
Columbus is the Midwest's fastest-growing metro, and the audience is unusually young thanks to Ohio State's 66,900 students. The Short North arches connect downtown to the university along High Street, while the Arena District and Easton pull entertainment and retail crowds. Intel's massive semiconductor build nearby is reshaping the corridor. I-70, I-71 and the I-270 Outerbelt carry the commute. Buy High Street and the campus through the day, the Arena District on event nights, and the Outerbelt at commute.
Downtown / Capitol Square and the main arteries surge 7:30–10 AM and 5–8 PM. Book exactly those hours and your frequency climbs for the same budget.
OSU / University District and the city's malls hold heavy footfall from noon to evening, long windows where dwell and shopping intent, not rush, do the work.
Short North shifts from daytime to social and tourism after dark. Different audience, same screens, swap the creative, not the location.
Location intelligence summary
Columbus doesn't have one rush hour; it has rotating audiences sharing the same streets. The only buying model that matches that is hourly: pay for the windows when your audience owns the city, skip the ones when it doesn't.
| Objective | Book these zones | Best hours |
|---|---|---|
| Brand launch | Short North + Downtown / Capitol Square | 6–11 PM |
| Commuter frequency | Arena District, Downtown / Capitol Square | 7:30–10 AM · 5–8 PM |
| Retail foot traffic | OSU / University District, Short North | 12–8 PM |
| B2B / decision-makers | Easton Town Center, Downtown / Capitol Square | Weekdays 9 AM–6 PM |
| Tourism & events | Short North, German Village | 10 AM–8 PM |
A month-long 24/7 rotation pays for 3 AM plays nobody sees. Hourly booking concentrates the same budget into Columbus’s proven peak windows, and typically saves 30%+ versus a flat four-week flight.
Morning commuters read in 2 seconds; evening crowds dwell for minutes. Run different creative by hour on the same screens, even trigger swaps on weather or live data.
Every play is logged. Blindspot campaigns report verified plays and attribution, measured against control groups, not estimated reach.
Cite this
Pricing · updated June 2026
Per-play prices, not CPM mysteries. Live per-screen pricing and real-time availability are on every card in the platform; the ranges below reflect typical Blindspot pricing as of June 2026.
| Format | Price per play | Typical presence | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadside & freeway digital | from ~$0.30 per play | $100 buys hourly bursts on I-70/I-71/I-270 | drive-time commuter reach |
| Short North / Downtown LED | $0.52–$4 per play | $5,000–$20,000 typical 4-week presence | arts core and daytime workforce |
| OSU / University District | $0.36–$3 per play | campus windows | the metro's largest young audience |
| COTA / CMAX transit screens | $0.30–$2.5 per play | every bus and BRT rider | repeat commuter frequency |
| Easton retail | $0.40–$3 per play | affluent shoppers | retail and lifestyle intent |
No minimums · no contracts · pay per verified play · hourly scheduling per screen
What a campaign costs
Because pricing is per play and hourly, there's no minimum, but here's what budgets realistically buy. Live numbers per screen are in the platform.
Campus test
An hourly burst on High Street and the Outerbelt. Ideal for launches and student-targeted campaigns.
Multi-zone Columbus push
The Short North plus the Arena District and Easton across peak windows, the workhorse plan for regional brands.
Arch City flagship
High Street plus the freeway network and retail clusters, a full-metro statement.
FAQ
From a few cents per play on urban panels to premium boulevard, transit and landmark networks. On Blindspot, Columbus screens are priced per play and booked by the hour, entry plays start around $0.30, with no contracts or minimums.
Short North ranks #1 for reach and dwell. For premium and B2B audiences, Downtown / Capitol Square leads; for retail intent, OSU / University District; for mass commuter frequency, the city's busiest transit arteries.
Yes, on Blindspot every Columbus screen is bookable by the hour with no minimum contract, so you can buy only the commute peaks, shopping afternoons, or evening windows that match your audience.
Blindspot aggregates digital out-of-home inventory across Columbus onto one map, roadside and boulevard screens, transit, mall and place-based panels, bookable per play. The wider OOH supply is run by operators such as Orange Barrel Media, OUTFRONT Media, Lamar Advertising.
Often within hours: upload, pass creative pre-check, and digital screens need no printing or installation. Content approval typically averages around two business days across networks.
A multi-day hourly presence on a high-traffic Downtown / Capitol Square corridor, a concentrated burst across the busiest transit and retail screens at peak hours, or thousands of plays on central urban panels.
No. Blindspot has no minimums, retainers or platform fees; you can run a focused hourly burst on a single screen or a full multi-zone Columbus campaign.
How to book
No sales calls, no contracts, self-serve from the map to live creative.
01
Open the map, filter Columbus by zone and format, and select the exact screens and the exact hours your audience is out.
02
Every screen shows its price per play and real-time availability before you commit. Build the plan; the running total is always visible.
03
Upload creative, pass pre-check, and go live, often within hours. Track verified plays and attribution as the campaign runs.
Keep exploring
66,900 students. Your hour.
Pick the screens, pick the hours, see the price per play, live in hours.
