It looks like Wildstone is set to become one of the biggest outdoor media asset owners in the Australian state of Victoria after agreeing a deal to buy Total Outdoor Media’s entire portfolio of regional billboards.
The deal marks Wildstone’s first Australian portfolio acquisition and includes 14 digital and 38 classic sites.
The acquisition is the second agreement the company has struck in Australia since launching in the country last year, with it having agreed a sale-and-leaseback deal to fund two new digital spectacular sites for Alliance Outdoor Media Group in October. Under the terms of that agreement, Wildstone leases the sites back to the operator, which continues to manage media sales.
With the Total Outdoor Media portfolio, Wildstone will take full ownership of the assets and enter into new partnerships with media operators interested in managing advertising for the sites.
“We’re thrilled to have completed our first acquisition in the Australian market and especially pleased to have secured such a strong regional portfolio. Through this deal, we are enabling regional centres to take advantage of digitisation as we know the regional audience is a growing and critical part of many outdoor campaigns. We will continue to support media operators and look for further opportunities in regional areas, as well as also being very much open to metro locations. We see the value in having billboard inventory across a diverse range of Australia markets and this acquisition is just the beginning, with more exciting announcements on the horizon as the company continues to expand its footprint” said Noel Cook, Managing Director for Wildstone Australia.
The Total Outdoor Media portfolio includes a number of prime regional sites, including boards in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Wangaratta.
Ged Hart, Managing Director at Total Outdoor Media said “We’re delighted to have reached this agreement with Wildstone Australia and are incredibly proud of the premium regional assets TOM has built in Victoria. The strong demand from advertisers underscores the growing importance of regional out-of-home media. With Wildstone’s vision and expertise, we’re confident these sites will continue to thrive, unlocking even greater opportunities for advertisers in key regional markets.”
Wildstone’s Australian expansion forms part of the company’s broader strategy for international growth. In addition to the Australian acquisition, the business has also recently announced new acquisitions in both Germany and Spain. These add to Wildstone’s current portfolio of more than 5,400 billboards across six countries.