MEA Programmatic Advertising Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

The Middle East and Africa Programmatic Advertising Market Report is Segmented by Trading Platform (Real-Time Bidding (RTB), Private Marketplace Guaranteed, and More), Advertising Media (Digital Display, Mobile Display), Ad Format (Display Banner, Online Video, and More), Enterprise Size (SMBs, Large Enterprises), Industry Vertical (Retail and E-Commerce, BFSI, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Market Size and Share

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Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Market Analysis by Mordor Intelligence

The Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market size is estimated at USD 20.05 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach USD 30.10 billion by 2030, advancing at a 7.98% CAGR during 2025-2030. Robust digital payment growth, sovereign AI programs, and telco-led identity graphs are widening the addressable audience pools while easing compliance with new privacy laws. [1]Jurgita Rudzyte, “MTN Reimagines Mobile Advertising,” Novatiq, novatiq.com Rapid e-commerce expansion has lifted first-party data volumes, enabling advertisers to shift budgets from broad targeting toward deterministic buys that improve return on ad spend. Mobile-first consumer behavior in GCC states, coupled with a decisive pivot to CTV inventory by regional broadcasters, is intensifying demand for cross-screen measurement solutions. At the same time, patchy connectivity outside Tier-1 African cities and uneven brand-safety adoption temper near-term growth prospects.

Key Report Takeaways

  • By trading platform, Real-Time Bidding led with 45% of Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market share in 2024, while Automated Guaranteed is projected to expand at a 10.5% CAGR through 2030.  
  • By advertising media, Digital Display captured 55% of revenue in 2024; Mobile Display is set to advance at a 9.0% CAGR to 2030.  
  • By ad format, Display Banner accounted for 35% of the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market size in 2024, whereas CTV/OTT is growing at a 14.3% CAGR.  
  • By enterprise size, large enterprises held 65% of spending in 2024; SMBs are pacing growth at 9.1% CAGR.  
  • By industry vertical, retail and e-commerce led with 20% share in 2024, while healthcare and pharma is projected to grow at a 10.0% CAGR.  
  • By geography, the Middle East commanded 60% share in 2024; Africa is the fastest-growing region with a 9.3% CAGR forecast.  
  • Google, Amazon Ads, and Xaxis collectively accounted for 52% of spend in 2024, underscoring the market’s moderate concentration.

Segment Analysis

By Trading Platform: Shift Toward Quality-Guaranteed Inventory

Real-Time Bidding contributed USD 8.6 billion, equating to 45% of the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market size in 2024. Advertisers favor RTB for auction efficiency and reach across fragmented publisher pools. Yet fraud concerns have heightened the appeal of Automated Guaranteed deals that lock premium slots at predictable CPMs. Automated Guaranteed is set for 10.5% CAGR, reflecting rising brand-safety expectations and the integration of supply-path optimization protocols. The Trade Desk’s 25% revenue rise and Sincera acquisition demonstrate the pivot toward analytics that surface trustworthy paths and reduce hidden fees. PubMatic reports 55% of impressions now travel through optimized routes, underscoring a marketwide push for transparency.

Private Marketplace Guaranteed offers curated high-viewability contexts for auto, BFSI, and luxury brands. Unreserved Fixed-Rate deals remain relevant for performance marketers chasing cost control. Consolidation reshapes platform choices, as Outbrain’s USD 1 billion Teads takeover broadens native and video bundles. [3]Alyssa Boyle, “Outbrain Acquires Teads From Altice for USD 1 Billion,” AdExchanger, adexchanger.com Advertisers therefore weigh scale versus exclusivity in determining optimal trading mixes across the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market.

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Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Advertising Media: Mobile Display Outpacing Desktop

Digital Display retained 55% share led by omnichannel campaigns that repurpose creative across screens. Mobile Display is forecast to post 9.0% CAGR, propelled by smartphone adoption and green media innovations that cut emissions by 39% while boosting click-throughs by 10%. Telco data integrations deepen contextual accuracy, particularly in cookie-light environments. As the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market matures, brands align mobile budgets with AI-driven commerce journeys, meeting consumers in-app where purchase intent peaks. Desktop display remains vital for B2B and long-form content, yet its share continues to edge down as hybrid work pushes more user time into mobile ecosystems.

Media buyers increasingly demand cross-device frequency capping and unified measurement. Magnite’s 23% CTV revenue rise signals demand for single-platform execution that blends CTV and mobile video. Media cost inflation has also nudged marketers toward supply-path pruning, elevating SSPs that guarantee viewable inventory at sustainable CPMs. The result is a more disciplined allocation of display budgets across the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market.

By Ad Format: CTV/OTT Accelerating Attention Economics

Display Banner generated USD 6.7 billion yet faces pressure from banner blindness. CTV/OTT posted the highest growth trajectory at 14.3% CAGR, reflecting full-screen engagement and fraud-mitigation tools inherent to server-side ad insertion. The move toward attention-based currencies gains momentum as contextual ad formats in Arabic achieved 3.5 times standard attention metrics. Online Video and Social Media deliver mid-funnel engagement, while Audio rides the regional podcast boom. DOOH scales through event-based installations like FIFA legacies, leveraging VIOOH’s SSP integration with BackLite Media.

CTV investment accelerates as platforms prioritize audience expansion. Magnite’s support for Netflix’s inaugural programmatic rollout affirms the premium of cinematic environments on brand recall. In turn, buyers channel incremental budgets toward CTV inventory that complements linear TV’s declining reach. The evolution underscores how user attention, not device, now anchors media planning across the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market.

By Enterprise Size: SMB On-Ramp to Self-Serve Buying

Large enterprises dominated with 65% spend due to proprietary data lakes and cross-market omnichannel orchestration. However, SMB adoption is projected to climb 9.1% CAGR as user-friendly dashboards remove execution hurdles. Intuit SMB MediaLabs and PubMatic partnership exemplify privacy-protective solutions tailored for smaller budgets. Self-service retail media exchanges such as GoWit elevate niche brands by opening direct access to high-intent shoppers in categories like mother-and-child retail. The Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market size for SMB spend is forecast to surpass USD 3 billion by 2030, reflecting democratization.

Meanwhile, large enterprises refine incrementality measurement through AI algorithms that attribute offline lift to online exposure. Sustained investment in data clean rooms ensures compliance with emergent privacy statutes across MEA jurisdictions. Consequently, scale players keep command of premium supply and audience intelligence, even as SMB penetration broadens the purchaser base.

Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Market: Market Share by Enterprise Size
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Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Industry Vertical: Healthcare and Pharma Emerges as Growth Catalyst

Retail and e-commerce maintained 20% share in 2024, buoyed by retail media networks and same-day fulfillment options. Healthcare and pharma is slated for 10.0% CAGR as telemedicine, wearable devices, and AI symptom-checkers generate context-rich data streams. Strict regulatory oversight necessitates privacy-centric solutions, positioning programmatic channels that can honor consent frameworks. BFSI exploits deterministic IDs to enrich cross-sell models, while automotive brands lean on location-based formats to drive dealership visits.

Amazon’s retail media revenue is projected to exceed USD 60 billion in 2025, demonstrating the synergy between commerce data and ad monetization. Criteo’s alliance with MobileFuse deepens Commerce Audience targeting, hinting at future vertical-specific segmentation within the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market.

Geography Analysis

The Middle East delivered 60% of revenue, supported by visionary policies such as Saudi Vision 2030 that mandate digital diversification. UAE and Saudi Arabia benefit from near-universal smartphone adoption and advanced fintech rails. Cloud alliances including the USD 1 billion-plus AWS-e& agreement enhance real-time bidding throughput and low-latency ad serving across the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market. Qatar leverages World Cup infrastructure to expand DOOH networks, while Israel’s start-up scene injects AI algorithms into bidding engines. Meta’s Arabic language AI roll-out strengthens cultural resonance of creative assets.

Africa shows the fastest growth at 9.3% CAGR. South Africa anchors development with 124 million mobile connections and strong banking rails. Nigeria’s USD 300 million gaming revenue signals monetizable digital leisure segments. Kenya’s mobile-money innovation expands addressable payment cohorts, while Egypt’s youth bulge accelerates social media adoption. MTN Ads and Orange AI language projects equip marketers with localized identifiers. Airtel-SpaceX Starlink collaboration aims to bridge rural coverage gaps, improving inventory quality in lagging regions.

Cross-border trade corridors deepen first-party data troves. Amazon’s launch in South Africa pushes logistics benchmarks that competitors must meet. Ecobank-Google Cloud partnership advances financial inclusion, broadening digital wallet usage that supports conversion tracking. The geographic mix reveals a two-pronged opportunity: the Middle East focuses on optimization, while Africa concentrates on infrastructure build-out that will power the next wave of growth in the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market.

Competitive Landscape

Global ad tech leaders maintain scale advantages, yet regional specialists inject competitive tension. Google holds 31% share through YouTube reach and integrated DV360 stack. Amazon Ads follows at 12% by linking retail insights with DSP bidding. Xaxis captures 9% via agency embedded trading desks that negotiate curated supply. InMobi owns 7% through mobile-first positioning and telco alliances. The Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market therefore exhibits moderate concentration, encouraging innovation around identity, measurement, and creative formats.

Strategic acquisitions shape value-chain integration. Outbrain’s Teads purchase creates a scaled open-internet video platform, while T-Mobile’s Vistar Media deal positions the carrier to own DOOH supply. Publicis’ Lotame buy seeks end-to-end data management, signaling that agency groups want proprietary identity scaffolding. Chinese cloud vendors like Huawei and Alibaba undercut AWS pricing, edging into the ad-tech hosting layer. As privacy mandates tighten, players able to deliver authenticated audiences without compromising compliance will strengthen their foothold.

Emerging disruptors include telco advertising arms such as MTN Ads, which leverages deterministic IDs, and retail media platforms like GoWit that monetize shopper intent at the point of sale. Technology differentiation is the decisive advantage. Platforms investing in generative AI for creative iteration and in clean rooms for safe data collaboration will out-maneuver legacy stacks. Consequently, the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising industry stands at an inflection point where ownership of first-party signals and algorithmic efficiency set the competitive bar.

Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Industry Leaders

  1. Tonic International

  2. Mars Media Group

  3. Executive Digital

  4. Boopin

  5. Xaxis (GroupM)

  6. *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Concentration.png
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Recent Industry Developments

  • July 2025: Ecobank Group and Google Cloud partnered to modernize digital banking infrastructure across 35 African markets.
  • June 2025: Netflix and Yahoo formed a programmatic sales alliance to widen premium inventory access.
  • June 2025: Amazon Ads and Roku struck a global pact covering 80% of connected-TV households.
  • May 2025: Airtel Africa agreed with SpaceX to deliver Starlink broadband.

Table of Contents for Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Industry Report

1. INTRODUCTION

  • 1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition
  • 1.2 Scope of the Study

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4. MARKET LANDSCAPE

  • 4.1 Market Overview
  • 4.2 Market Drivers
    • 4.2.1 Explosion of Mobile-First Consumers in GCC States
    • 4.2.2 Growing Adoption of CTV/OTT Advertising Inventory by MENA Broadcasters
    • 4.2.3 Cross-border E-commerce Surge Boosting First-Party Data Use in UAE and KSA
    • 4.2.4 Telco-led Identity Graph Initiatives in Africa (e.g., MTN, Vodacom)
    • 4.2.5 Programmatic DOOH Roll-outs Around FIFA and Expo Events in MEA
    • 4.2.6 AI Integration and Automation in Advertising Operations
  • 4.3 Market Restraints
    • 4.3.1 Limited Third-Party Cookie Alternatives on Local Publishers
    • 4.3.2 Patchy 4G/5G Coverage Outside Tier-1 African Cities
    • 4.3.3 Low Brand-safety Tool Penetration Elevating Fraud Risk
    • 4.3.4 Fragmented Data-privacy Regulations Across MEA States
  • 4.4 Regulatory Outlook
  • 4.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis
    • 4.5.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers
    • 4.5.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers/Consumers
    • 4.5.3 Threat of New Entrants
    • 4.5.4 Threat of Substitute Products
    • 4.5.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

5. MARKET SIZE AND GROWTH FORECASTS (VALUE)

  • 5.1 By Trading Platform
    • 5.1.1 Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
    • 5.1.2 Private Marketplace Guaranteed
    • 5.1.3 Automated Guaranteed
    • 5.1.4 Unreserved Fixed-rate
  • 5.2 By Advertising Media
    • 5.2.1 Digital Display
    • 5.2.2 Mobile Display
  • 5.3 By Ad Format
    • 5.3.1 Display Banner
    • 5.3.2 Online Video
    • 5.3.3 Social Media
    • 5.3.4 CTV / OTT
    • 5.3.5 Audio (Streaming and Podcast)
    • 5.3.6 Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH)
    • 5.3.7 Others
  • 5.4 By Enterprise Size
    • 5.4.1 Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)
    • 5.4.2 Large Enterprises
  • 5.5 By Industry Vertical
    • 5.5.1 Retail and E-commerce
    • 5.5.2 BFSI
    • 5.5.3 Automotive
    • 5.5.4 Media and Entertainment
    • 5.5.5 Healthcare and Pharma
    • 5.5.6 Travel and Hospitality
    • 5.5.7 Telecom and IT
    • 5.5.8 Others

6. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

  • 6.1 Strategic Developments
  • 6.2 Vendor Positioning Analysis
  • 6.3 Company Profiles (includes Market level overview, Core Segments, Financials as available, Strategic Information, Products and Services, and Recent Developments)
    • 6.3.1 Google LLC
    • 6.3.2 Amazon Ads (Amazon Inc.)
    • 6.3.3 Xaxis (GroupM)
    • 6.3.4 InMobi Pte Ltd
    • 6.3.5 The Trade Desk, Inc.
    • 6.3.6 Magnite, Inc.
    • 6.3.7 PubMatic, Inc.
    • 6.3.8 Adform A/S
    • 6.3.9 Criteo SA
    • 6.3.10 Mars Media Group
    • 6.3.11 Tonic International
    • 6.3.12 Hsoub
    • 6.3.13 AdFalcon
    • 6.3.14 Gamned!
    • 6.3.15 Adsterra
    • 6.3.16 MMP World Wide
    • 6.3.17 Dentsu Aegis Network MEA
    • 6.3.18 Omnicom Media Group MEA
    • 6.3.19 AdFalcon (Noor Telecom)
    • 6.3.20 Digital Turbine Inc.
    • 6.3.21 Executive Digital
    • 6.3.22 Boopin

7. MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

  • 7.1 White-space and Unmet-need Assessment
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Middle East And Africa Programmatic Advertising Market Report Scope

Programmatic Advertising is the utilization of software to buy digital advertising. This automation makes transactions efficient and more effective, streamlining the process and consolidating your digital advertising efforts in one technology platform.

The Middle East and Africa Programmatic Advertisement Market is segmented By Trading Platform (Real-Time Bidding, Private Marketplace Guaranteed, Automated Guaranteed, and Unreserved Fixed-rate), By Advertising Media (Digital Display and Mobile Display), and By Enterprise size (SMBs and Large Enterprises). The scope of the study tracks the impact of covid-19 on the studied market.

By Trading Platform Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
Private Marketplace Guaranteed
Automated Guaranteed
Unreserved Fixed-rate
By Advertising Media Digital Display
Mobile Display
By Ad Format Display Banner
Online Video
Social Media
CTV / OTT
Audio (Streaming and Podcast)
Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH)
Others
By Enterprise Size Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)
Large Enterprises
By Industry Vertical Retail and E-commerce
BFSI
Automotive
Media and Entertainment
Healthcare and Pharma
Travel and Hospitality
Telecom and IT
Others
By Trading Platform
Real-Time Bidding (RTB)
Private Marketplace Guaranteed
Automated Guaranteed
Unreserved Fixed-rate
By Advertising Media
Digital Display
Mobile Display
By Ad Format
Display Banner
Online Video
Social Media
CTV / OTT
Audio (Streaming and Podcast)
Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH)
Others
By Enterprise Size
Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)
Large Enterprises
By Industry Vertical
Retail and E-commerce
BFSI
Automotive
Media and Entertainment
Healthcare and Pharma
Travel and Hospitality
Telecom and IT
Others
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Key Questions Answered in the Report

What is the current value of the Middle East and Africa programmatic advertising market?

The market stands at USD 20.05 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach USD 30.10 billion by 2030 at a 7.98% CAGR.

Which trading platform segment is expanding the fastest?

Automated Guaranteed is projected to grow at 10.5% CAGR between 2025 and 2030, reflecting higher demand for premium, fraud-controlled inventory.

How large is the CTV/OTT opportunity in the region?

CTV/OTT advertising is the fastest-growing ad format with a 14.3% CAGR, benefiting from 65% daily streaming penetration in the UAE.

Why are telcos important to identity resolution in Africa?

Operators like MTN provide deterministic IDs across 19 markets, giving advertisers cookieless targeting paths in low-publisher-data environments.

What restrains growth outside major African cities?

Patchy 4G/5G coverage limits high-bandwidth formats, reducing campaign reach in rural areas and slowing adoption of advanced programmatic tools.

How concentrated is the competitive landscape?

The top five players hold about 60% share, indicating moderate concentration that still leaves room for regional specialists and new entrants to scale.

Page last updated on: July 11, 2025

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