i-media and VIOOH Partnership Opens Motorway Network to Programmatic Buys

Jun. 09, 2026

i-media, a leading UK outdoor media owner, today announced it has integrated with VIOOH, the leading premium global digital out-of-home (DOOH) supply-side platform, opening its exclusive network of 1,000+ full-motion motorway service area screens to advertisers. This means for media buyers already working programmatically across digital channels,  i-media's inventory can now sit within those same workflows without additional setup, separate negotiations or a new buying process to navigate. 

Within outdoor media buying, campaigns are increasingly being planned around audience presence rather than fixed locations. As a result, the question buyers are asking isn't just where a screen is, but who is in front of it and when? i-media’s network, which uses proprietary Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, answers this question. 

The ANPR-powered network uses anonymised vehicle recognition to identify audience composition in real time at each location based on vehicle type, make, model, and fuel type without the collection of any personal data. This feeds i-media’s scaled audience-based targeting solution that produces live, verified audience intelligence so campaigns can activate and adapt based on who is actually on site. 

Now, with the integration with VIOOH, this capability will be accessible to programmatic buyers globally.

Other benefits of the i-media and VIOOH partnership include:

• National scale and reach - 2.9 billion monthly impressions across 1,200 screens 
• Unique audience intelligence through vehicle-level targeting via ANPR technology 
• High purchase intent - MSAs generate over £1.5 billion in non-fuel revenue annually, reaching audiences actively spending 
• Extended dwell - 22-minute average visit times and a positive, receptive mindset 
• Full-motion creative environments across our service areas

Nick Slaymaker, Chief Growth Officer i-media, said:

"For too long, outdoor has been bought on location alone. That's changing. Programmatic buyers are waking up to the fact that it's the audience that matters, not just where the screen is bolted. Joining forces with VIOOH means we can bring our motorway audience data to the wider market, through the workflows buyers are already using.”

 

Gavin Wilson, Global Chief Commercial Officer at VIOOH, said:

“Our partnership with i-media reflects where programmatic DOOH is heading – bringing advertisers to new audiences to drive growth in real-time and in this case, it’s motorway service station audiences. We’re particularly excited about i-media’s ANPR-powered network and the ability for that data to tell buyers valuable information about the audience, not just the screen. We're pleased to make it accessible to our global buyer base through a single point of entry.” 

 

For agencies and brands, the integration means i-media inventory - which gets more impressions per week than views of British TV show ‘The Traitors’ - can now be activated through a single point of entry in VIOOH’s platform. 

For international buyers accessing i-media for the first time, it also provides access to a distinctly UK environment: motorway service areas (MSAs) are dedicated rest, retail and fuel stops on the UK’s motorway network, visited by millions of drivers and passengers making planned, purposeful journeys.