Programmatic advertising in Egypt

As technology continues to evolve and internet access becomes more widespread, Egypt is experiencing a digital transformation like never before. With over 96.3 million internet users and a rapidly growing social media presence, Egyptians are increasingly turning to online platforms for browsing, shopping, and connecting with brands. This surge in digital activity has positioned Egypt as a leading digital advertising market in the MENA region.

In this article, we dive into the latest trends shaping Egypt’s digital landscape, explore the key drivers of its booming advertising market, and provide audience behavior insights. Whether you’re a local business or an international brand, understanding Egypt’s digital ecosystem is essential for success in one of the region’s most promising markets.

Digital Advertising Market in Egypt

The digital advertising market in Egypt is experiencing significant growth, fueled by increasing internet penetration and smartphone adoption. With over 80% of the population online as of 2025, brands are shifting their budgets toward digital channels. According to Data Reportal, brands spend $1.25 million on digital advertising, which has grown by 10.6% compared to last year. Meanwhile, digital advertising market share in Egypt is 75.9%, meaning advertisers have started choosing digital channels more than traditional advertising nowadays.

Source: Data Reportal

Programmatic Advertising Market in Egypt

As the undisputed leader in MENA’s digital advertising ecosystem, Egypt presents a high-growth, high-opportunity market that demands nuanced understanding and strategic execution. No wonder that brands boost investment in programmatic advertising—investments in programmatic platforms increased by 12.7% compared to the previous year. Generally, brands spend $1.02 billion on programmatic advertising. 

As for market share, programmatic advertising market share in Egypt is 81.6%. Moreover, the programmatic ads market share is gradually growing—year-on-year change in programmatic’s share of total digital advertising spending is +1.9%.

Source: Data Reportal

Available Audience & Consumer Behavior

Egyptians are tech-savvy and diverse, spanning different socio-economic classes with varying behaviors and preferences. As was mentioned before, there are 96.3 million internet users in the country, which equals 81.9% of the total population. Most Egyptians access the internet via smartphones. According to Data Reportal, there are 116 million mobile internet users, which is equivalent to 99% of the total population. To effectively reach an audience in Egypt, whether you are a local brand or international, it’s crucial to consider advertising campaigns such as mobile-first orientation of users in Egypt.  

The reasons users go online include a desire to be in touch with their relatives, to look for necessary information, to keep up to date with news, and so on.

Source: Data Reportal

Most users use mobile phones and smartphones to access the internet. Laptops and desktop computers took third place. One more noticeable tendency in the digital market in Egypt is the spread of connected TV. According to Data Reportal, 28.9% of users use connected television as one of the devices to access the internet. That is higher by 19.4% compared to the previous year.

Source: Data Reportal

This way, the Egyptian advertising market is witnessing a significant shift in media consumption habits, driven by the rapid adoption of Connected Television (CTV) (learn more about advertising on CTV here) and streaming platforms. Recent data highlights that 94.7% of Egyptian internet users aged 16+ watch some form of TV content monthly, while streaming now accounts for 91.9% of total TV viewing time among internet users, reflecting a clear preference for on-demand and online platforms. Daily time spent watching TV content has surged by 13.9%, reaching 3 hours and 48 minutes per day. The dominance of streaming—coupled with rising screen time—positions CTV as a critical channel for reaching tech-savvy, connected demographics in Egypt’s evolving market.

As for social networks, there are 50.7 million social media users in the country, which equals 43.1% of the total population. The top reasons for using social media are the desire to be in touch with relatives, fill in spare time, and make new contacts.

Source: Data Reportal

The most popular social network is Facebook—the platform takes the first place with 80.2% of users. WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok are also popular among Egyptian internet users.

Source: Data Reportal

Search engines (31.5%) and social media ads (28.0%) dominate brand discovery, underscoring their role as primary entry points for new audiences. Meanwhile, online brand research is heavily driven by social networks (51.5%) and search engines (48.6%), reinforcing their importance in awareness and decision-making stages.

Source: Data Reportal

These insights are vital for advertisers: aligning campaigns with high-impact channels like search and social media ensures visibility at every stage of the consumer journey.

Ad Formats & Ad Channels in the Egyptian Advertising Market

Egypt’s digital ad market is rapidly evolving, with advertisers leveraging a mix of high-performing formats to engage their target audiences. The most popular ad format among brands is search advertising. They spend $688 million to interact with users through search engines. In-app advertising takes second place, which is not a surprise as Egypt is a mobile-first market. Digital advertising spend in Egypt on in-app ads accounted for $278 million. This way, mobile advertising market share is established at 22.2%. Moreover, investments in the format are constantly growing—for instance, advertising spend on in-app ads is 10% (equal to $25.2 million) more than the previous year.

Source: Data Reportal

Social media ads rank as the third most popular ad format in Egypt—and for a good reason. With 44.6% of Egyptians turning to social platforms to discover and research brands, this channel has become a cornerstone of digital engagement. Its influence is only growing, fueled by a +14.8% year-on-year surge in ad spend—proof that marketers are doubling down on social’s unmatched reach and hyper-targeted capabilities. From viral TikTok campaigns to Facebook’s shoppable ads, social media doesn’t just capture attention; it drives decisions.

Ad Inventory

Top popular websites

google.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, xnxx.com, wecima.watch, نسوانجي.net, topcinema.cam, amazon.eg, instagram.com

Top SSP in Egypt

• Adform
• BidSwitch
• Equativ
• Fluct
• FreeWheel SSP
• Google Ad Manager
• GumGum
• Improve Digital
• Magnite CTV
• Magnite DV+
• MicroAd
• Nexstar Digital
• Nexxen (fka Unruly)
• OpenX
• PubMatic
• PulsePoint
• SmartClip
• SpotX
• Ströer SSP
• Taboola
• TeadsTv
• Xandr – Monetize SSP (AppNexus)
• Yahoo Exchange
• YouTube & partners

How to run programmatic campaigns effectively? Partner with NT Technology!

Egypt’s digital advertising market is experiencing explosive growth, with programmatic at its core. As smartphone adoption surges and internet penetration deepens, brands are leveraging programmatic precision targeting, real-time optimization, and data-driven efficiency to cut through the noise. But in a market as dynamic as Egypt’s, success requires more than just technology—it demands local expertise, premium inventory access, and flawless execution.

That’s where NT Technology excels. For over 12 years, our managed-service NT DSP has empowered advertisers and agencies to conquer Egypt’s digital landscape. We provide end-to-end campaign management—from strategy and creative development to ad campaign optimization and transparent reporting—all handled by your dedicated team of 100+ specialists.

Why Advertisers Choose Us for Egypt:

• Unmatched Expertise. Your campaigns are powered by our in-house specialists in AdOps, data science, creative design, and analytics—no outsourcing. 
• Premium Inventory & Scale. Direct access to 24 SSPs and ad networks, ensuring premium placements across video, in-app, and more.
• Hyper-Targeting. Leveraging 20+ data partners (including first-party data) to reach your ideal audience with surgical precision.
• Brand Safety & Transparency. Independent fraud monitoring, post-view conversion tracking, and full control over where your ads appear.
• Guaranteed Performance. We forecast and deliver on your KPIs, whether it’s brand lift, conversions, or ROAS.

That’s where we excel. For over 12 years, our managed-service DSP has empowered advertisers and agencies to conquer Egypt’s programmatic landscape. Unlike self-service platforms, we provide end-to-end campaign management—from strategy and creative development to AI-driven optimization and transparent reporting—all handled by your dedicated team of 100+ specialists.

Egypt’s digital audience is ready—but are your campaigns optimized for their behavior? Let’s partner to transform your programmatic strategy into measurable growth. Contact us today to launch your next high-impact campaign.

How to Boost Awareness for Premium Car Dealership

A leading car dealership in Egypt offered new and pre-owned vehicles across premium and mass-market segments. Despite a strong market presence, the brand struggled with low awareness among younger audiences and intense competition in the digital space. The goal was to increase brand recognition and build emotional connections with potential buyers over a 3-month campaign.

We ran awareness-focused ad campaigns with banners, in-stream videos, and native ads. Running A/B-testing, we determined the most efficient advertisements and redistributed the budget to them to gain more cost-effective ad impressions and boost performance. To drive user engagement, our team implemented cube ads into the ad campaign. This interactive advertisement allows advertisers to showcase up to four images on its 4 sides. A cube can spin automatically or by swiping, engaging users to interact with one of the ad messages.   

Our AdOps and Data Analytics specialists closely monitored the process and the efficiency of the ad campaign to manually and automatically optimize it on time. During the campaign, the optimization was directed toward reaching a maximum number of high-intent users with relevant ads for them and driving brand awareness.

In order to evaluate the impact of the ad campaign, we conducted Brand Lift research. According to Brand Lift, we achieved:

• 334.5% increase in brand awareness;
• 249.8% increase in ad recall;
• 301.9% increase in brand interest.

Want to boost performance of ad campaigns? Contact us today. We would be glad to help you.

Conclusion

Egypt’s digital advertising market is thriving, driven by rising internet penetration, mobile-first users, and the dominance of programmatic buying. With 81.6% of digital ad spend flowing into programmatic platforms, brands that leverage data-driven targeting, CTV, and social media ads will gain a competitive edge. Success in this dynamic market requires strategic execution, local expertise, and continuous optimization.  

For brands looking to maximize their impact, partnering with a programmatic specialist like NT Technology ensures access to premium inventory, advanced targeting, and performance-driven campaigns. As Egypt’s digital ecosystem evolves, embracing programmatic advertising is no longer optional—it’s essential for growth.  

Ready to elevate your ad campaigns in Egypt? Contact us today to get started.