EUROPE NEWS

FEPE: Another Speaker Announcement!

Along with Dave Trott, Nancy Fletcher, Annie Rickard, Rupert Day, Margit Kittridge, Nick Propper, Stephen Freitas and Micheal Bayler we are pleased to announce today more speakers for the FEPE Budapest Congress.

Gerhard Louw, Senior Manager, International Media Management at Deutsche Telekom will be sharing his views on OOH and Deutsche Telkom's use of the medium across Europe.

Gerhard has worked at the headquarters in Bonn, Germany for more than 8 years. He is responsible for steering and coordinating the international media function for the Deutsche Telekom Group across the 14 national telecommunication companies in Europe.

His professional background spans 20 years and includes many aspects of Marketing Management on local and global levels, having worked in three of the most dynamic industries: fast-moving consumer goods, IT & Telecommunications.

A South African native, Gerhard has worked across 4 countries and 2 continents, speaks 4 languages and truly enjoys working closely with people from different countries and cultures in cross-functional and virtual teams. He has two business degrees and a post graduate diploma, is a registered Life Coach and workshop facilitator.

We now have over 200 registrations from 24 countries for the FEPE Budapest Congress.

We still have space at the moment, but we will be possibly be capping the Gala Dinner numbers at 300 so if you intend registering, you should not leave it too late.

Only one or two exhibition spaces are still available, so if you are a supplier who wishes to get your product in front of an audience of global OOH decision makers please email us very soon so we can work out a package for you.

The cost for exhibition spaces is lower this year to offer best value to our industry suppliers, and each exhibition space comes with 2 free delegate passes. Also included this year is the use of a meeting room exclusively for exhibitors so they can hold client meetings and presentations while in Budapest.

The 56th FEPE congress, titled "Your Audience is Waiting", will be held between Wednesday June 10th and Friday June 12th at the Intercontinental Hotel, Budapest.

There will be 2 days of presentations and high calibre speakers from across the world, all of whom will be bringing their unique viewpoints on Out of Home and wider media and advertising industry insights. The Thursday night Gala Dinner, in keeping with the FEPE tradition of finding special locations, will be at the Buda Castle, one of Budapest's most iconic buildings, and the Friday night social evening will be at a dinner cruise down the river Danube, taking in all the sights of Budapest for 3 hours. As usual we have negotiated a special delegate rate for the hotel rooms and delegates are able to pay by credit card or bank transfer, which we hope will make bookings easier for some overseas delegates.

Delegate fees are unchanged from last year (and several years before) at €1500 for members and €1600 for non members. You can register by following the link on the FEPE homepage and FEPE members all receive an additional €500 discount so if you are considering attending with colleagues and are not a member, please get in touch so we can organise the most cost effective package for you.

UK: TfL kicks off pitch for London Underground outdoor ad contract

Transport for London has begun the review process for its outdoor advertising contract, one of the biggest of its kind in the world.

The contract will combine the ad sales for the Underground, the Overground, the Tramlink, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Victoria Coach Station and Crossrail, when it launches.

Viacom Outdoor, now known as Exterion Media, won the £800 million eight-and-a-half-year contract to handle the outdoor ad sales in 2006. Following a legal dispute the contract was renegotiated in early 2012.

Graeme Craig, the director of commercial development at TfL, said the company wants to move from the current minimum guarantee model to a partnership that will help it evolve so its assets are at the forefront of the commercial media "revolution".

He said the new contract includes advertising, sponsorship, experiential and retail opportunities and the next media partner will offer a "broad range of opportunities".

Craig said Buxton Water’s sponsorship of the Canada Water Tube station during the London Marathon last month, the first deal of its kind, was an example of the sort of deals TfL might look to do more of in the future. He said: "It is not a regular thing that we will be doing but it is a good example of TfL thinking afresh."

Tfl claims the contract will deliver an annual audience of 1.5 billion across 270 Tube stations, 83 stations on the London Overground, 45 DLR stations, Tramlink’s 39 stops, Victoria Coach Station and the 40 to-be-launched Crossrail stations.

Craig rejected the suggestion that moving away from a guarantee model would put public funds at risk, and instead said working in partnership will be more profitable for both sides. He said: "We want to work in partnership to unlock long-term value."

The move is part of TfL's wider strategy to make the most out of the commercial opportunities on its estate, which have included tailoring the retail offered in stations to the area they are situated in, including the "pop-up" opportunities at London's Old Street.

More information about the process is available on the TfL website and there will be a day of briefings for interested parties. The formal notice will then be published through the Official Journal of the European Union.

TfL is planning to appoint a new partner by April next year. The contract will start on 1 October 2016.

Jason Cotterrell, the UK managing director at Exterion Media, said: "We’re really excited that the moment we’ve been preparing for is finally/nearly here. "Transport for London has an inspiring vision for the Underground and their wider asset base that we’re already delivering on. "Game-changing innovations such as DX3, which we’re launching in the coming months, will transform the tube and commuter experience, and present amazing opportunities for the industry going forward.

"We’re proud to be leading this revolution as we engage with TfL during the bid."

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UK: Heathrow and JCDecaux Airport announce Microsoft as the launch partner on the Towers@T5

JCDecaux Airport and Heathrow have announced that Microsoft is the launch partner on the Towers@T5 – the largest digital airport opportunity in Europe – located at Terminal 5, Heathrow’s busiest airport terminal.

Capitalising on the spectacular size of the seven full-motion landscape screens, Microsoft is utilising the iconic platform to showcase the impact of Microsoft Cloud. Microsoft is promoting it as the cloud that enables AccuWeather to respond to 10 billion requests for crucial weather data per day. The campaign was planned and booked with JCDecaux Airport by Empowering Media and Dentsu Aegis OOH.

With five screens located landside and two located airside, The Towers @ T5 ensure maximum impact as they reach 100% of the Terminal’s departing and transferring passengers. Each digital display is 14 metres wide by 7 metres high, has an impressive 6mm LED screen quality and can be treated as one synchronised showcase, or as individual displays.

Alan Sullivan, Managing Director of JCDecaux Airport, said: “It’s great to see Microsoft as the launch advertiser on this stunning new 700 square metre digital platform - the Towers@T5. These seven new iconic locations in Heathrow offer an extraordinary new opportunity for brands to dominate and inspire the affluent, exclusive and influential passengers of Heathrow. This demonstrates once again how the airport is at the cutting edge of digital OOH innovation.”

Robin Hall, Managing Director of Dentsu Aegis OOH’s international division, said: “Being the Towers @T5 launch partner provides the ideal opportunity for iconic brand Microsoft to reach the highly desirable international business traveller through a hugely impressive site”.

Microsoft has also deployed classic and digital Out-of-Home locations throughout Terminal 5’s check-in and security check zones as well as key opportunities at Heathrow Express.

Jonathan Coen, Heathrow’s Retail Director, said: “As Britain’s hub airport, connecting more than 70 million passengers across the globe every year, it’s no surprise that the world’s premier brands have recognised the power of advertising at Heathrow. We are delighted to welcome Microsoft to Terminal 5’s newest installation”.

UK: Carlsberg spoofs 'beach body ready' ad

Carlsberg has launched a spoof digital outdoor ad responding to the furore around Protein World's 'Are You Beach Body Ready?' billboard.

The ad, which was created by Fold 7, shows a bottle of Carlsberg beer with a yellow bikini, similar to the Protein World ad, alongside the text "are you beer body ready?" The ad is running on Exterion Media's cross-track projection (XTP) sites on the Underground.

Yesterday the Advertising Standards Authority banned the Protein World ad, which promoted the brand’s meal replacement weight loss products, because of its health and weight-loss claims made in it.

The ad, which featured a photograph of a woman in a yellow bikini, had been widely criticised for both the way it was advertising a weight-loss product as well as for portraying women in a sexualised way.

The ASA has also launched an investigation into whether the ad breaks the harm and offence rules or is socially irresponsible. An ASA spokesman said: "We will now carefully and objectively explore the complaints that have prompted concerns around body confidence and promptly publish our findings."

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UK: Battersea's digital dog 'follows' shoppers in outdoor campaign

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have today launched a new form of digital outdoor advertising in which a dog on a billboard appears to follow shoppers as they walk past.

Created by OgilvyOne UK as part of the charity’s "#LookingForYou" campaign, the billboards are activated by a tag contained in leaflets which are handed directly to passersby at the Westfield Stratford shopping centre in East London. As people walk past the outdoor billboards, an RFID tag within the leaflet starts a video of Barley, a former Battersea dog, who begins to interact with the viewer.

OgilvyOne collaborated with Exterion Media to carry out the project, while the dog was brought to life by Framestore, a creative studio which won an Oscar for its work on the movie Gravity.

Carly Whyborn, the head of operations at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, said: "We're very excited about the #Lookingforyou campaign – as a nation of dog lovers we're hoping it strikes a chord with people. "Battersea rehomes animals all over the UK and beyond and this could help encourage people to choose to rescue a dog. We're using innovative technology in a way that has never been seen before, and we hope more of our abandoned animals find loving homes because of it."

A #LookingForYou campaign video was produced by Creation Company Film, while RFIDiom and Exterion Media worked with OgilvyOne on producing. Emma de La Fosse and Charlie Wilson, joint chief creative officers at OgilvyOne UK, said:

"We all know that homeless dogs follow you around. "So we are using technology to create a truly engaging experience at Westfield to help Battersea rehome even more dogs in 2015."

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AMERICAS NEWS

USA: Why tech startups favor outdoor advertising

There’s an irony that a company dedicated to helping brands improve their online marketing opts to market itself through outdoor ads.

But for marketing tech startup Percolate, a heavy presence in outdoor, mostly on top of cabs, allows it to stand out. James Gross, co-founder, said that he has a very specific target in mind when he thinks about investing in outdoor. It’s not for people to ask, “What’s Percolate?” and then go Google it, he said. Instead, it’s for marketers who already know what the company does; the ad is the nudge that may encourage them to get back in touch, or give the company a call. But Gross said, of course, the first one — just getting people to become aware of the company — does happen.

“We don’t have a lot of evidence of it working,” he said, “but we do look at some click paths and see where the queries are coming from and so on.”

There’s also the intangible: Outdoor has a higher barrier to entry — “you can buy an online ad for 14 cents,” said Gross — and so it makes people think of the company differently. Gross also said there is an employee investment angle. Percolate now employs about 240 people, he said. “Our ad also touches a tertiary audience, the people we want to hire and the people who work here,” he said.

Of course, it’s not just marketing tech startups that are making a splash outdoor. Consumer companies like mattress company Casper is a presence in the subway — co-founder Luke Sherwin says it was the best place to get a captive audience — as does Seamless and health insurance company Oscar.

Still, those services are trying to reach millions of consumers. For business-to-business startups, the equation would ostensibly be different. Then again, the crowded marketing in advertising and marketing technology, not to mention the billions invested in companies in those sectors, make a dash for mindshare make more sense. After all, Buddy Media raised eyebrows with its aggressive outdoor marketing, focused mostly in airports, but then was bought by Salesforce for nearly $700 million.

“We’ve seen a real upswing in the past three years,” said Carly Zipp, spokeswoman at Outfront Media (formerly CBS Outdoor), one of the largest OOH inventory owners in the country, who added that the interest runs the gamut from smaller tech and martech companies to giants like YouTube.

Shai Goldman, managing director of SVB Capital, who also runs a Tumblr documenting startup ads on outdoor media, said that one other reason why startups are bullish on outdoor is because they’re finding that Facebook and other social advertising is getting more expensive and possible less effective. “People just want to try new channels,” he said. Outdoor also might make you think the company “supposedly has money” to either attract customers or maybe even new hires.

Matt Sraz, founder and CEO of HR software company Namely, which also runs outdoor ads in New York, said he’s a fan because it can be targeted to specific neighborhoods. There’s also the opportunity to get into a space traditionally dominated by legacy competitors. “And perhaps the best reason: It works,” he said. “We can track website traffic increases to our OOH advertising in specific geographies.”

Full article here

USA: iHeartMedia, Inc. Reports Results for 2015 First Quarter

iHeartMedia, Inc. reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015.

“We’re pleased with the growth we achieved this quarter, and continued to break new ground in enabling advertisers and partners to engage seamlessly across all of our diverse media platforms with the announcement of our creation of a new programmatic buying solution, which will bring the power of radio to advertisers through an automated, real-time ad buying platform,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, we continue to provide the most live entertainment – with more content and more events in more places on more devices – to the industry’s most engaged audiences, wherever they are. Last month, our second annual iHeartRadio Music Awards Show generated more buzz than ever with 14 billion social media impressions and was rated Number 1 for 18-49s across the Big 4 broadcast networks that night. At Outdoor, we couldn’t be more happy with our team and the strong momentum we gained in the first quarter.”

“We delivered strong year over year growth in both revenue and OIBDAN across the board in the first quarter,” said Rich Bressler, President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “We also continue to pursue transactions that streamline our balance sheet and maximize liquidity, as well as continually review our entire portfolio of assets to ensure we operate them in the most efficient way possible.”

First Quarter 2015 Results

Consolidated revenues increased 4% to $1.4 billion in 2015 compared to 2014 after adjusting for a $54 million unfavorable impact from movements in foreign exchange rates. On a reported basis, consolidated revenues were slightly up.

iHeartMedia revenues increased $28 million, or 4%, driven primarily by our traffic and weather and syndication businesses, as well as events. Revenue growth was partially offset by lower core local broadcast radio advertising revenue.

Americas outdoor revenues increased $9 million, or 3%, after adjusting for a $4 million unfavorable impact from movements in foreign exchange rates. Growth was driven primarily by digital billboards, as well as higher revenues from our Time Square spectaculars. On a reported basis, revenues increased $5 million, or 2%.

International outdoor revenues increased $25 million, or 7%, after adjusting for a $50 million unfavorable impact from movements in foreign exchange rates. Growth was driven primarily by strong performance in Europe, as well as in Australia and China. On a reported basis, revenues decreased $26 million, or 7%.

After adjusting for a $49 million impact of movements in foreign exchange rates, consolidated operating expenses increased $31 million, or 3%, in the first quarter, primarily due to an increase in variable costs and compensation expense associated with higher revenue, as well as higher advertising and promotion. On a reported basis, consolidated operating expenses decreased $18 million, or 2%.

Outdoor

Naming Bob Pittman CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. in addition to his continued responsibility as Chairman.

Naming Scott Wells Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, overseeing all of Clear Channel Outdoor’s business in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Wells joins the company from Bain Capital, where he served as an Operating Partner. Prior to taking this new role, Wells was a member of the Clear Channel Outdoor Americas’ Office of the President, headed its North American Executive Committee and served on its Board of Directors.

Naming William Eccleshare Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel International, leading CCI’s global efforts and intensifying focus on the increasing potential of the international outdoor advertising market.

Installing 143 new digital displays in international markets for an end of quarter total of over 4,900 displays and 18 new digital billboards in North America for an end of quarter total of 1,193 across 38 markets.

Moving Latin America operations under the leadership of Americas outdoor.

Earning the annual Business Superbrand designation for Clear Channel UK, identifying the UK’s strongest business-to-business brands based on their quality, reliability and distinction, as coordinated by The Centre for Brand Analysis.

Full article here

Canada: Spotted! Nike’s ‘moving’ OOH campaign

Nike has launched a localized OOH campaign encouraging Toronto’s women to get training this spring.

The four week billboard campaign is designed to drive awareness for Nike’s global #betterforit initiative, with six unique boards positioned strategically throughout the city to target an 18- to 24 year-old female Torontonian demographic. The locations were chosen based on where the target female audience runs, trains and lives.

The boards, which each feature the #betterforit hashtag, target members of Nike’s female running groups, among others. Between 5 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. each morning, one billboard reads “It’s never too early to start,” and is meant to be seen by women out on their early morning jog. After 8:30 a.m. the sign changes to read “It’s never too late to start,” in order to communicate with a more general audience.

“[The #betterforit campaign] is our largest and most integrated women’s initiative to date,” says Claire Rankine, communications director, Nike Canada. “Our women’s business is outpacing men’s and tracking to $7 billion globally by fiscal year 2017.”

The boards aim to communicate with the target demographic in a humorous, authentic and slightly cheeky way, says Chris Hirsch, partner and creative director at creative agency LG2. The Toronto-based company partnered with Nike on the project, handling the creative side of the OOH executions.

“OOH was a natural choice when trying to bring the #betterforit campaign to life for the Toronto market,” says Hirsch. As well as having a sense of humour, the billboard messages are city-specific too, with nods to circumstances unique to Torontonians. One message says “Train like a streetcar, stop for no one,” while another reads “When your city’s raccoons are as big as dogs, you don’t jog. You run,” a reference to recent news in the city.

Toronto’s Jungle Media handled media buying for the campaign and the last of the six boards – a “moving” execution, depicting a female doing pull ups (video below) – was installed yesterday in Toronto’s downtown.

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Canada: Astral Out of Home Wins Indoor Advertising Contract for Halifax Stanfield International Airport

Astral Out of Home one of Canada's leading out-of-home advertising companies, announced it is expanding its operations to Atlantic Canada after having been awarded the indoor advertising contract for Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

The 10-year contract, effective May 1, is part of an ongoing, cross-country development program for Astral's airport network. "We are absolutely thrilled to become the exclusive partner of Halifax Stanfield International Airport for its indoor advertising program," said Luc Quétel, President, Astral Out of Home.

"The Halifax airport is a key venue that offers great opportunities for clients in this market. We are looking forward to collaborating with other Bell companies, including Bell Aliant and CTV, to bring travelers a unique airport experience while also providing the best advertising platform for our clients."

"It is very exciting to have the opportunity to work with the dynamic team at Halifax Stanfield International Airport," said Benjamin Mathieu, Director, Business Development, Transportation & Technologies, Astral Out of Home.

"We are committed to our investment in this airport and will be offering an innovative line of digital advertising products scheduled for completion this fall."

Serving 49 non-stop destinations, Halifax Stanfield International Airport is the largest airport in the Atlantic provinces, with passenger traffic of over 3.6 million in 2014. The airport is a major player in the economy of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, generating more than 5,700 jobs and injecting some $1.3 billion into the region's economy each year. The contract awarded to Astral Out of Home calls for a progressive increase in the number of advertising faces, introduction of digital products, and a significant media creativity initiative inside the airport terminal.

Astral Out of Home will also introduce its AeroTv concept to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. AeroTv is a one-of-a-kind digital network that broadcasts exclusive programming focused on entertainment and relaxation, featuring news, sports, weather, fashion, comedy, movies, culture, and more. AeroTv content for the airport will be created in partnership with CTV Atlantic.

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AFRICA NEWS

Kenya: Fanisi buys stake in advertising firm

Competition for a share of the outdoor advertising market has intensified following a move by Fanisi Venture Capital to acquire a minority stake in an outdoor advertising firm Live Ad Ltd for Sh284 million ($3 million).

Fanisi Capital Managing Partner Ayisi Makatiani hailed the deal, citing the entrepreneurial spirit at Live Ad as a defining trait of the business.

“The entrepreneur has a vision to transform Live Ad from an already successful business to a market leader. We have bought into this vision and endeavour to support the entrepreneur and the business to deliver it,” said Makatiani.

He said Live Ad’s partnership with Fanisi will provide the impetus needed to take the company through its growth strategy, to establish itself as a strong regional player. Fanisi Capital, which manages the $50 million (Sh4.8 billion) Fanisi Venture Capital Fund will enable Live Ad Ltd to expand and increase its presence across Kenya. The deal will also enable the firm to grow the number of billboards it owns over the next four years. This will be in addition to establishing and growing its presence in new towns in the country.

Currently, Live Ad has over 200 billboards in Nairobi and other towns across Kenya. The advertising firm competes for business with other major outdoor advertising firms such as Magnet Ventures, Ad Site, Think Outdoor, Alliance Media among others. Outdoor ads While companies selling consumer products are the biggest consumers of advertising and market services, lately, technology, telecommunications, financial services and entertainment have increased their spends in outdoor ads.

“As part of our growth and differentiation strategy, we will increase our product range, offer more value adding services to clients and provide quality customer service,” said Live Ad Chief Executive Officer James Maina. “This partnership with Fanisi will make Live Ad’s path to success much easier and we will continue to focus on quality product and customer loyalty.”

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Nigeria: Abuja To Rank Among Best 20 Cities By 2020 – Akinjide

The Minister of State for the FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide, said on Tuesday Abuja that the FCT Administration would make the territory one of the best 20 cities in the world by the year 2020.

Akinjide said this at the formal launch of the Enumeration of Advertising Signs and Hoardings in the FCT.

She said that the process was part of efforts being made to sanitise the practice of outdoor advertising in the territory in line with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“It further demonstrates our determination to build a capital city that will rank among the 20 best cities in the world by the year 2020.’’

Akinjide said that by the launch, the FCTA had set in motion the machinery to standardise outdoor advertising in the territory. She said that the main objective of the exercise included improving the internally generated revenue profile of the FCT Administration, sanitising its environment and checking impunity in the practice.

She said that the exercise would be carried out through the deployment of customised bicycles manned by National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members. The minister said that the corps members being deployed for the exercise had been trained in data gathering, adding that the project would be managed by the FCT Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), in collaboration with Geoqynetiq Limited.

She said the exercise would cover three main areas of the city centre which are Maitama District, Airport Road and Bill Clinton Drive as well as some selected areas of the six area councils in the FCT. According to her, the exercise also entails a head count of all first and third party advertisements identified in the various districts. She appealed to all stakeholders, especially the media, to mobilise support for the DOAS towards the realisation of its goals.

The minister said that doing so would lead to the sanitisation of the outdoor advertising industry in the FCT.

In his remark, the Director, DOAS, Malam Ibrahim Yusuf, said that the bicycles had been insured, adding that the safety of the corps members was also guaranteed. Yusuf said that the choice of corps members in carrying out the exercise was to create jobs as the best of them could be retained.

Also speaking, the Head of Geoqynetiq, Mr Jerome Okoro, said that the software to be used for the exercise was one of the best and was aimed at effectively managing outdoor advertisement business in the FCT. Okoro said that the software also has a map of the FCT with a satellite link which could gather data at a distance. (NAN)

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South Africa: Zomato app goes large on Citilites

Coincidence or not, Zomato has recently begun flighting their first out of home (OOH) advertising campaign and has just become the largest restaurant finder in the world. Zomato is now available in 22 countries and 35 million foodies use it every month.

Continental Outdoor Media is currently flighting their campaign on Citilite billboards in key metropolitan areas in Gauteng and aims to get people downloading the app to their smartphones.

The recent research, “Always On: Out of Home Lives 2014” conducted by FEPE and Future Foundation illustrates that 88% of South African consumers are more likely to take action after seeing an OOH advert as opposed to the other countries, viz, UK, Brazil, Turkey, Germany and Spain that we researched at 79%.

The success of the Citilite range, introduced from France and patented in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa by Continental Outdoor Media in 2003, is largely due to the tactical opportunities it provides marketers. Advertising messages are moved to new locations every two weeks.

“This dramatically increases brands’ reach, frequency and recall. This rotation also ensures that creative messages do not suffer ‘fatigue’ and therefore maintain their impact factor,” says Lyn Jones, Marketing Manager of Continental Outdoor Media.

Furthermore, the internal illumination which affords Zomato high impact both day and night reaches consumers whilst in the right mindset and moodset for finding a new restaurant nearby.

AUSTRALIA NEWS

Australia: Outdoor momentum continues in April

The Out-of-Home (OOH) industry today reported net revenue of $48.8 million for the month of April, an increase of 19.5% from the same month last year, which posted a net revenue of $40.8 million.*

Year-to-date revenue has increased by 21.0%, tracking at $196.7 million, up from $162.5 million* for the same time last year. The OOH industry finished 2014 on a record high of $602 million, a 10% increase from 2013.

Category figures April 2015:

• Roadside Billboards (over and under 25 square metres)   $17.5 million

• Roadside Other (street furniture, taxis, bus/tram externals, small format)   $15.0 million

• Transport (including airports)   $8.2 million

• Retail   $8.1 million

* The figures have been adjusted for 2014 revenue to reflect changes within categories, allowing direct comparisons in revenue year-on-year.

ASIA NEWS

China: JCDecaux wins exclusive advertising concession for Guangzhou Metro until the end of 2015

JCDecaux SA has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, JCDecaux Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, has won the exclusive operation rights for the traditional media resources in Guangzhou Metro from 1 April until the end of 2015.

This makes JCDecaux’s coverage of metro media in China increase to eight cities, which includes the three megacities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. After years of rapid development, Guangzhou Metro has truly moved into the era of the modern metro network. So far, it has built and opened nine metro lines with 153 stations and a total mileage of up to 260 kilometres, having successfully established China’s third largest urban rail transit system.

As one of the primary means of public transport for Guangzhou citizens, the daily traffic has reached over 6 million passengers, handling about 40% of the transit passenger flow of the city of Guangzhou. As the previous local operator failed to fully deliver their contractual commitments, Guangzhou Metro Corporation decided to terminate their contract and had to select through a tender a temporary operator for 2015 before launching a long-term tender.

Through this 9-month cooperation, JCDecaux wishes to enhance its knowledge of this leading metro network and maximize its chances to establish a closer and long-term partnership with Guangzhou Metro Corporation.

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