DailyDOOH

You may remember back in May 2023 that to much fanfare Kubient, Inc. (once NasdaqCM: KBNT, KBNTW) and Adomni Inc. had entered into a definitive merger agreement where Adomni would merge with and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kubient.

However, less than six months later, on November 27, 2023 Adomni, Inc. officially cancelled the acquisition of Kubient, Inc. (NasdaqCM: KBNT, KBNTW) and as we wrote in January 2024 “might have got away just in time”.

Late last week Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Paul Roberts, the founder, former Chief Executive Officer, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kubient, Inc., a publicly traded digital advertising technology company, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

Paul Roberts previously pled guilty to securities fraud for his execution of a scheme to defraud investors and auditors of Kubient, during which he caused Kubient to improperly recognize more than USD 1.3 million in fraudulent revenue in financial statements at the time of Kubient’s initial public offering and made material misrepresentations about the efficacy of Kubient’s proprietary fraud detection tool, Kubient Artificial Intelligence (“KAI”).

Matthew Podolsky said “Paul Roberts cooked the books. He lied to investors and auditors about his company’s revenue and about his company’s premier product: an AI-powered tool that, ironically, was supposed to detect fraud in the digital advertising industry. This Office is committed to holding corporate executives who defraud the investing public accountable for their crimes.”

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Exertis Almo, North America’s largest and most specialized value-added Pro AV distributor, has introduced the Autora Digital Signage Management (DSM) Platform.

Exertis Almo Vice President of Services, Cory Allen said “There are a lot of creative complexities to digital signage – and there will always be unexpected situations. At the same time, existing DSM platforms have lacked what integrators need.. Autora DSM was designed as a mechanism to minimize these challenges. However, what’s most unique about the Autora platform is the way we provide customized support to the integrator throughout the process to ultimately deliver the most positive experience possible to the end user.”

We are told that the new service offering allows integrators to simplify every facet of a digital signage AV project and is backed by the expertise of a dedicated internal Exertis Almo team.

Demos of the Exertis Almo Autora DSM platform will be available in the showroom during the E4 Experience, coming to the New York Metro area on April 2. The E4 Experience brings an immersive day of learning, trend insights, and hands-on experiences, with nearly 50 manufacturing and service exhibitors, and the ability to earn valuable AVIXA CTS Renewal Units.

Vistar Media this week announced an agreement with Western Union to manage and monetize its growing network of over 2,200 digital out-of-home screens across the United States, Canada and Brazil.

Leveraging Vistar’s ad server, player and supply-side platform (SSP), Western Union is transforming its marketing screen assets into a robust retail media network aimed at reaching multicultural audiences.

Western Union began with a mix of existing and newly installed screens, many of which were previously underutilized. Through Vistar’s technology, these screens have been revitalized, enabling Western Union to manage their network with precision while unlocking programmatic and enhancing direct buying revenue streams. The results are clear: increased scale, higher audience engagement and a steady growth trajectory for the network.

“Western Union’s approach to building a media network aligned perfectly with Vistar’s mission to redefine what’s possible in digital out-of-home advertising,” said Eric Lamb, SVP, Enterprise Solutions at Vistar Media. “With our modern stack of technology solutions, we’ve helped Western Union turn screens that were once underutilized into a vibrant, high-performing media network. This partnership showcases how advanced technology can empower a global financial leader to connect authentically with a specific audience, generate meaningful revenue and drive measurable results for advertisers.”

Western Union’s retail media network attracts advertisers looking to reach a diverse audience. The screens are strategically located in the heart of multicultural neighborhoods and reside where individuals are cashing checks, sending money or shopping at grocery, convenience and other retailers—providing a unique touchpoint at critical moments of decision-making. Data indicates that Western Union’s customers are 70% more likely to make a purchase immediately after engaging with these services, highlighting the network’s potential to drive impactful results for brands.

“Partnering with Vistar Media has been a game-changer for us,” said Josh Bernstein, Director, Media Network Operations at Western Union. “With their advanced technology, we’ve turned screens that were once underperforming into a dynamic media network that truly reflects the communities we serve. Vistar’s tools have not only made managing our network seamless but have also opened the door to new revenue opportunities, all while helping us connect our advertisers with multicultural audiences who are often overlooked by traditional advertising.”

In addition to enabling Western Union to manage its network effectively, Vistar’s technology has provided key mediation capabilities and integrations, ensuring the efficient execution of campaigns across geographies. This has further solidified the partnership’s success as the network expands into new markets.

New for 2025, DSS Europe will now be a three-day learning and networking event, providing more opportunity to explore the critical issues, technologies, and trends shaping the industry and registration is now open.  It takes place this year 21 – 23 May at (its usual location), the Hilton Munich Airport, Munich.

DSS Europe 2025 will focus on two transformative themes: AI and Managed Services. Over three days, delegates will experience thought-provoking keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, and hands-on workshops led by global experts. Speakers will explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionising content creation, audience engagement, and data-driven decision-making, while managed services are reshaping operational efficiency and scalability. 

On the first day, the newly introduced ‘Digital Signage Tech Forum’ will debut, catering specifically to delegates involved in the technical aspects of digital signage. On days two and three, the ‘Managed Signage’ strategy conference convenes global industry leaders and end-consumers to address key digital signage and DooH challenges. These include responding to uncertainties triggered by geopolitical shocks, disruptions through AI, growth simulations with new managed services business models, a changing competitive landscape and sustainability transitions.

The full three-day conference programme, which will be revealed in the coming weeks but will be built around seven key themes:

• AI and Digital Signage
• Managed Signage
• Business Critical
• Signage and Software
• Content and Concepts
• Green Signage
• Shared Spaces 

With approximately 100 speakers and over 40 presentations, panels and fireside chats, DSS Europe is an unmissable event for anyone wanting to understand and benefit from the latest technologies and trends in the digital signage market.

“Each year, DSS Europe evolves to address the dynamic needs and challenges within the digital signage industry. This edition’s comprehensive focus on groundbreaking technologies and strategic management solutions will offer attendees profound insights into the ongoing transformation of our field,” commented Florian Rotberg, conference chair and Managing Director of invidis consulting.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, said “Attending DSS Europe 2025 is an unparalleled opportunity for digital signage professionals to stay ahead of industry trends and innovations. The summit’s focus on AI and Managed Services is particularly relevant as these technologies are rapidly transforming the digital signage landscape. Attendees will gain access to some of the most innovative business leaders as well as explore the latest solutions from key manufacturers. This is the kind of high-level networking where critical decisions are made, and new ideas are born.”

Alongside networking opportunities, attendees will have the chance to immerse themselves in innovations at the Technology Showcase where leading brands will unveil their latest products and groundbreaking technologies, offering a glimpse into the future of digital signage and DOOH solutions.

You can take advantage of a 30% early bird ticket discount available for a limited time only. Conference packages, including a full pass and optional hotel accommodation at the Hilton Munich Airport, are available. You can purchase a pass for the Day 1 – Digital Signage Tech Forum (21 May), for Day 2 & 3 (22-23 May), or for all three days. Accommodation options include one or two nights at the Hilton Munich Airport with breakfast.

The Digital Signage Summit series was launched by invidis back in 2006 but since 2015, it has been a joint venture with Integrated Systems Events, the producers of ISE (Integrated Systems Europe).

There have been more than 60 Digital Signage Summits to date, held over the years in cities such as Amsterdam, Munich, New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Bangkok but the big one each year, namely the Digital Signage Summit Europe is held in Munich, Germany and recognised as the world’s leading digital signage conference.

NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe, the largest retail event in Europe, will take place in Paris from 16 to 18 September 2025. This inaugural edition marks the fusion of Paris Retail Week’s legacy with the global expertise of the National Retail Federation. By bringing together the strengths of the European and North American retail markets, the event will fully embrace its theme: Retail Together.

Arnaud Gallet, Retail Business Unit Director at Comexposium told us “NRF Retail’s Big Show: Europe will be the most comprehensive retail gathering in Europe and marks a significant shift from a national gathering to a truly international experience. Five years post-pandemic, the retail industry remains resilient and agile and is repositioning itself for a new generation of consumers and profound evolution as artificial intelligence drives innovation and efficiency at every level.”

NRF Retail’s Big Show: Europe will address major challenges and opportunities facing the retail market including:

• Seamless, unified retail
• Store design innovation and technology
• Logistics and the supply chain
• CSR and ESG
• Expansion of marketplaces
• Payments innovation
• CRM systems
• The intelligent use of data
• Fraud and cybersecurity.

The event will feature a world-class exhibition and exclusive tours with more than 480 international exhibitors including Vusion Group, Relex, Stripe, Zebra, NielsenIQ, SOTI and SymphonyAI. The expo hall will span 25,000 m² across two pavilions (Hall 4 and Hall 6), and will highlight the latest advancements in retail digitalization, logistics, seamless solutions and customer engagement technologies. Expo tours will be offered as well as store tours of innovative retail spaces throughout Paris.

The Innovation Lab & Startup Hub is a dedicated space spotlighting breakthrough technologies and emerging brands that are shaping the future of commerce, and the Big Ideas sessions will serve as a platform for exhibitors to showcase cutting-edge innovations and emerging trends.

Throughout the conference, international CEOs will deliver keynote speeches, offering their strategic vision on the future of retail. In addition, senior industry leaders will take part in topic-based breakout sessions to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing the sector. These interactive sessions allow attendees to explore solutions tailored to their specific business needs.

NRF and Comexposium successfully launched NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific last June, and this first edition in Paris, aims to unite the retail ecosystem across Europe.

Outsmart, the UK’s trade body for the Out of Home (OOH) advertising industry, this week unveiled its ‘Vision for Growth’, calling for a National OOH Advertising Strategy to turbocharge economic growth.

With a record GBP 1.4 billion in revenue in 2024, up 7.7% year on year, OOH advertising is one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries but (they say) further expansion is held back by high business rates and fragmented policies, limiting OOH advertising’s ability to invest in communities and drive growth.

The industry reinvests up to 40% of its revenue into the UK economy, creating jobs and enhancing the UK’s social infrastructure by providing bus shelters, free telephony, Wi-Fi, community messaging and public defibrillators without additional cost to the taxpayer.

The Vision for Growth sets out two key recommendations to address current barriers to economic growth, including calling for the removal of business rates on social infrastructure. This would allow media owners to reinvest in public spaces, benefiting communities while simplifying financial processes for local councils.

Read the rest of this entry »

Digital Signage provider Zynchro System LLC is collaborating with Sony Semiconductor Solutions as the first integration partner to develop and integrate Sony’s AITRIOS technology suite for the digital signage market.

The solution was demonstrated at Retail’s Big Show (NRF) in New York City back in February.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wildstone, the leading owner of outdoor media infrastructure across the UK and Europe, has partnered with Alpha Publicidad Exterior, one of Spain’s most well-known out-of-home media operators, to drive further growth and innovation across Spain’s flourishing OOH market.

The strategic partnership will see Wildstone and Alpha develop opportunities to accelerate the digitisation of Spain’s OOH market. The first stage of the partnership involves the launch of seven new locations across the Madrid, Alicante and Córdoba provinces.

Carlos Pestaña, Managing Director, Wildstone Spain told us “Alpha is a prominent player in Spain’s OOH sector, and with Spain’s OOH market ripe for digitisation, our partnership presents a golden opportunity to drive transformation and change. Wildstone’s digitisation of traditional OOH assets has been a huge success in the UK. Now, our initiatives with Alpha mark the next stage of the plan to replicate this success in Spain.”

The sites all feature digital large format screens, ranging in size from 8m x 3m to 16m x 6m. Two of the new billboards, each measuring 8m x 3m, are located on the Avenida Comunidad Valenciana in the Benidorm district of Alicante. A third screen, measuring 16m x 6m, has been unveiled in the Villafranqueza neighbourhood, also in Alicante and is seen by over 900,000 viewers each week.

Further large format digital billboards have been installed in both Córdoba and Madrid. The new Córdoba screen, which lies on the outskirts of the city, will measure 8m x 3m, while the three Madrid billboards range from 8m x 3m to 12m x 5m.

Wildstone and Alpha will also be looking to leverage the partnership to further develop their revenues and share of the Spanish market. Wildstone currently owns over 2,000 outdoor advertising panels across Spain, having entered the market in 2022 via acquisition of Redext Group, while Alpha has built up a portfolio of over 3,500 panels over the last 27 years.

OOH ad spending in Spain is set to reach $418.20m (€384.04m) this year, with new technologies (such as programmatic) and changing customer preferences driving the growth of digital out-of-home. The DOOH market is forecast to grow by over 9%, to $243m (€223.15m), by 2029 as a result.

Wildstone’s Spanish expansion forms part of the company’s broader strategy for international growth. In addition to the Spanish acquisitions, the business has also recently announced new acquisitions in both Germany and Australia. These new acquisitions add to Wildstone’s current portfolio of more than 5,400 billboards across six countries.
In its home market of the UK, Wildstone has emerged as the leader in both OOH asset ownership and the digitisation of classic OOH assets. Over the past four years, the company has digitised more than 1,000 billboards across the country, in the process facilitating the growth of several key media operators.

Sergi López, CEO, Alpha Publicidad Exterior said “At Alpha, we envision a future where Large Format Outdoor Advertising is completely reinvented, moving away from the traditional perception of the medium. This new vision will attract both large and small brands, including those currently confined to the online space, as they ‘discover’ a new communication channel—one that is much more exclusive and impactful, deeply connecting with their audience—the digital large format. From the very beginning, we knew there was a special connection between Alpha and Wildstone: we share the same vision for the future of outdoor advertising, where digital technology and innovation merge to create impactful experiences. We were drawn to Wildstone’s impressive track record in the UK, which complements our expertise in the local market. This partnership allows us to accelerate growth and maximise revenue. We are thrilled with our initial sites and look forward to future projects together.”

Tour operator Budj Bim Cultural Landscape has been named the winner of oOh!media’s Indigenous Business Grant for 2025.

An Aboriginal-owned and operated tourism business, Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tours offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore the rich cultural and natural history of the approximately 7,000 square kilometre Budj Bim region in south-western Victoria.

As the only UNESCO World Heritage-listed site in Victoria for its cultural values, Budj Bim faces challenges in attracting a steady flow of visitors due to its remote location, positioned four hours from Melbourne and six hours from Adelaide between the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians, meaning many travellers bypass the area.

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape will receive an Out of Home media package to the value of $200,000 across oOh!’s digital network with support from oOh!’s innovation and creative hub, POLY.

Harriet Keatley, marketing manager at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, said “Winning the oOh! Indigenous Business Grant is an incredible opportunity to shine a light on Budj Bim and the deep cultural significance of this landscape. Being just one of two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites in Victoria, our region remains largely overlooked, with limited exposure and few drive-by visitors. This grant will help us amplify awareness and attract more people to experience the rich history and enduring connection of the Gunditjmara people to this land.”

oOh! launched the Indigenous Business Grant to support and amplify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses by leveraging oOh!’s national digital Out of Home network. The inaugural winner was The Unexpected Guest, an Australian made and owned breakfast food products company which creates health bars and organic mueslis made with native ingredients.

Tourism Australia – Budj Bim

Following continued strong interest and significant numbers of applications from a range of businesses including technology, consulting services and beauty in 2025, oOh! will be opening entries for the 2026 Indigenous Business Grant in December.