Vancouver City Council provided the green light to Astral Out-of-Home Bell Media and the building owner to install the screen on the rooftop of the one-story restaurant building at 897 Granville St.

City Council initially considered this proposal by Outfront Media Canadian Assets in October 2023, but sent it back to City of Vancouver staff and the proponents to extract more public benefits. Shortly after, there was another delay, as Astral acquired Outfront in 2024, which included a change of ownership of this application.

In the final agreement Astral will provide the Vancouver municipal government with a direct baseline financial contribution each year — an annual $80,000 payment, plus an annual three per cent increase to account for inflation. By the 10th year, this annual baseline payment will grow to $104,000. This direct baseline financial contribution — a portion of the advertising revenues — did not exist in the original 2023 proposal.  In addition to the introduction of a direct baseline financial contribution each year, the property owner will provide the City with half of their 30 per cent of net revenue paid to them by Astral.

Finally, Astral will also dedicate 20 per cent of the screen’s display time for City of Vancouver uses, such as promoting local arts, culture, events, festivals, businesses, and other public messaging, including alerts for community safety, emergency events, severe weather, and welcoming tourists.

Billboard Insider’s Take: Win, win, win.  The city of Vancouver gets money and screen time to promote local events and messages.  Astral gets additional revenues and profit.  Local businesses get a chance to tell their story to consumers.

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