Outdoor digital creeps up on print

Digital out of home (Ooh) advertising is close to overtaking print, as data from the Outdoor Media Association (Oma) shows digital revenue is now at 49.7 per cent of net media revenue year-to-date, increasing from 44.4 per cent for the same period last year.

Overall, the Ooh industry saw an increase of 8.7 per cent on net media revenue year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, posting $203.1m, up from $186.9m for the same period. At the end of last year, the industry saw an increase of 6.03 per cent on net media revenue, at $837.1m, up from $789.05m for the previous year.

Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of the Oma says, “Ooh is moving forward into an exciting period of progress and expansion; led by digital and the increasing availability of powerful data sets. This is compelling for advertisers and why we continue to see our revenue grow.”

[Related: Sydney Trains to retain print]

The industry is also injecting up to $10m into Measurement of Outdoor Visibility and Exposure (MOVE), an audience measurement system for Ooh media. The association says the investment is aiming to prove power and efficacy of digital outdoor advertising.

The figures by category for the first quarter of this year are Roadside Billboards at $82.7m, up from $77.3m in the prior corresponding period (pcp); Roadside Other, covering street furniture, bus/tram externals, small format, is at  $55m, up from $51.1m; Transport, including airports rose to $35.1 million from $29.5m, while Retail, Lifestyle and Other hit $30.3m, up from $28.9m in the pcp.

For most major outdoor advertisers, digital is now generating more revenue than print. At QMS, print advertising flatlined in the last half year, while its digital revenue became 66 per cent of its total revenue. oOh!media saw its digital revenue grow to 59.8 per cent to $227.4m in the last full year, surging from $153.3m in 2016.

Print only remains the majority income source for APN Outdoor at 62 per cent of its media, although the company’s digital revenue rose by 13 per cent in FY17, while print stabilised.