DOOH Share of Loop Calculator
This calculator determines your effective share of loop on a digital out-of-home screen and translates that into an audience-adjusted CPM and estimated weekly impressions. It is built for media planners and DOOH buyers who need to evaluate whether a programmatic or direct DOOH buy is fairly priced relative to the actual proportion of screen time their creative occupies. The tool models both fixed loop lengths and variable programmatic environments.
Inputs
Results
How this is calculated
Enter the screen's total loop length in seconds, your creative's duration, the number of plays per hour, and the location's daily traffic, and the calculator produces your share of loop percentage, daily and weekly impressions at that share, and an effective CPM.
Every model runs locally in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What is share of loop in DOOH advertising?
Share of loop refers to the proportion of total screen time that a specific advertiser's creative occupies in a digital out-of-home environment. If a screen runs a 60-second loop with six 10-second ads, each advertiser has a 1-in-6 share of loop, or approximately 17%. Share of loop directly affects how many times per hour a given audience member passing the screen has an opportunity to see the ad, which in turn affects effective CPM and campaign impact.
How does programmatic DOOH affect share of loop?
Programmatic DOOH buying introduces variability into share of loop because impressions are traded dynamically rather than guaranteed by a fixed placement. An advertiser buying programmatically targets specific audience conditions — time of day, weather, nearby events — and wins individual ad plays through auction. The resulting share of loop fluctuates with bid success and competition, making it harder to guarantee minimum exposure without setting a daily impression floor in the campaign setup.
How do I compare DOOH CPM to other digital media CPMs?
DOOH CPMs are not directly comparable to digital display CPMs because the impression definition differs. A DOOH impression is counted at the unit level — the number of people estimated to have an opportunity to see the screen during a play — while digital display counts a single served ad to a single identified user. DOOH impressions are generally more exposed to ambient, unintentional viewing, while digital display reaches a specific profiled individual. Effective comparisons should account for these audience quality differences.