The local out-of-home (OOH) industry has posted a 5.7 per cent increase on net media revenue year-on-year to posting $186.7 million, according to the Outdoor Media Association (OMA).

The growth follows the OOH sector’s all-time high revenue growth at the end of 2016 of 15.8 per cent.

Breaking it down by month for the quarter, January saw a 12.4 per cent revenue rise, February saw a 2.7 per cent rise and March saw a 3.6 per cent rise to $73.2 million.

Digital revenue is sitting at 44.4 per cent of total net media revenue year-to-date – up from 36 per cent on the same period last year.

OMA chief executive Charmaine Moldrich said: “OOH’s continuing growth in the first quarter of 2017 confirms it is the ‘tradigital’ channel that is taking on the future, and investing in technology is one of the drivers of this success.

“OOH can connect advertisers with their audiences anywhere, anytime, whether via a traditional outdoor poster or a digital screen. Unlike other media channels, OOH can’t be blocked, it can be measured, and it reaches real people when they are out and about in an active state of mind.

Here are the category figures for the first quarter of  2017**:

• Roadside billboards (over and under 25 square metres) – $77.3 million
• Roadside other (street furniture, bus/tram externals, small format) – $51.0 million
• Transport (including airports) – $29.5 million
• ^Retail, lifestyle and other – $28.9 million

In comparison, here are the category figures for the first quarter of  2016**:

• Roadside billboards (over and under 25 square metres) – $67.1 million
• Roadside other (street furniture, bus/tram externals, small format) – $53.7 million
• Transport (including airports) – $30.5 million
• ^Retail, lifestyle and other – $25.3 million

* The previous year’s figures have been adjusted to reflect changes in OMA membership to allow for direct comparisons in revenue year-on-year.

^ Reported in this category are: shopping centre panels, as well as all place-based digital signs including office media – covering signs in lifts and office buildings, cafe panels, and digital screens in doctors’ surgeries and medical centres.