APN makes digital media foray with website acquisition and billboard wins

The diversified media group, which has interests in newspaper printing, radio and outdoor, has acquired 25% of Friendorse, a fledgling online recommendation business.

The stake is a sign the company is "ramping up our digital position", according to chief development officer Matt Crockett.

He told ProPrint that although print remained the major part of APN's business and still had room to grow, most of APN's medium- to long-term growth would come from digital.

In the out-of-home advertising space, APN Outdoor has acquired the rights to seven new Queensland billboards including the state's first digital supersite.

In what the company is calling an "intense assault" on the Brisbane outdoor market, the sites are positioned along the heavy traffic zones of the Gateway Motorway and M1.

The acquisitions make APN the largest billboard operator in Brisbane and the key provider of digital supersites in Australia.

Richard Herring, chief executive of APN Outdoor, said: "These sites are exciting additions to the Brisbane portfolio. APN has always held premium inventory across all major roads in Brisbane and these new sites raise the bar even higher.

"With our Brisbane portfolio expanded, we can now confirm that APN Outdoor is the leading billboard supplier in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, while enjoying comparable large-format share in Adelaide."

"As the pioneer of digital supersites in Australia, we are also extremely excited to be able to offer the first digital supersite sign to advertisers in Brisbane."