Wildstone has secured oOh!media and Gawk Outdoor as media operators for the portfolio of 52 sites it acquired earlier this year from Total Outdoor Media (TOM).
The buyout of TOM’s entire portfolio of regional billboards was announced in March and included 14 digital and 38 classic sites. The acquisition included a number of prime regional sites, including boards in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Wangaratta.
The deal marked Wildstone’s first Australian portfolio acquisition, with an aim to replicate the success it has enjoyed in its home market of the UK.
Wildstone is the largest owner of outdoor advertising infrastructure in the world, with more than 5,400 assets. The company focuses on owning billboards and enters into long-term partnerships with media operators to manage advertising for its sites.
It aims to work with both established names and emerging players in the industry to ensure it contributes to the long-term growth of the OOH market.
“We’re thrilled to have finalised agreements with oOh!media, Australia’s No. 1 OOH operator, and Gawk Outdoor, a company that is rapidly gaining regional market share,” said Noel Cook, managing director for Wildstone Australia.
“This is a major step forward following our largest Australian acquisition to date. We are excited to see the TOM OOH portfolio continuing to thrive, delivering value for advertisers and communities across the country.”
“Regional out of home is an important part of oOh!’s business, and the addition of the premium digital and classic sites in Victoria’s largest regional centres via our relationship with Wildstone means oOh! continues to extend into key growth areas that further enhance and expand our national footprint,” said Robbie Dery, chief commercial operating officer at oOh!media.”
Luke Course, director and co-founder of Gawk Outdoor, said: “We are extremely excited to add such a large number of premium sites in regional VIC into our inventory. We were able to work closely with Wildstone to get this transaction completed, with both parties pulling in the same direction.”
“This was a great opportunity to grow our business by a significant percentage without any capital investment.”
