A new report from PwC, commissioned by Outsmart, finds the UK Out of Home (OOH) sector contributed £411m to support public services, infrastructure, communities and employees in 2021 – representing 46% of its advertising revenue.
Over the last 14 years, OOH media owners have invested £1.1bn into installing and maintaining public infrastructure including bus shelters, free telecommunications services and even lifesaving defibrillators. OOH media owners directly contributed £188m in 2021 towards public finances through business rates and rent.
In addition, PwC estimates a further c.£29m helped support charities and communities through donations, heavily discounted or donated media space and staff hours given to charity.
The report, based on a survey of OOH media owners representing 92% of industry revenue, also highlights how the sector has increased the share of renewables to over 90% of electricity consumption whilst innovating to increase the use of recyclable materials.
Tim Lumb, Director of Outsmart, comments “This report highlights Out of Home is not just about fantastic advertising, it’s also about investing in our relationship with the public by providing highly valued services up and down the country and supporting good causes.”
Andy Lobo, Senior Manager at PwC, said “The Out of Home sector has long benefitted both advertisers and local communities as demonstrated by the wide range of OOH media owner investments and initiatives – from funding public infrastructure through to celebrating and promoting diversity on advertising screens across the country. It is exciting to see the sector making progress in tackling a broader set of environmental and social challenges too.”
The participating media owners are Alight Media, Bay Media, BlowUP Media, Clear Channel, Global, JCDecaux UK, Mass Media, Ocean Outdoor and Wildstone.
