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 (TOM) 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 to 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 TOM portfolio, Wildstone will take full ownership of the assets and enter into new partnerships with media operators interested in managing advertising for the sites.
The TOM acquisition reinforces Wildstone’s commitment to supporting media operators and billboard owners by providing capital in a way that is flexible enough to support their goals, whether these are the digitisation of sites or a market exit.
It also underscores the company’s commitment to providing high-quality, revenue-generating sites in key locations. The TOM portfolio includes a number of prime regional sites, including boards in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Wangaratta.
“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.”
Ged Hart, Managing Director at TOM, added: “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.
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.
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