Report: Clear Channel Outdoor At The Digital ‘Tipping Point’

Clear Channel Outdoor is set to reach a digital “tipping point” in the UK, generating more money from electronic advertising displays than traditional posters and billboards, report the Financial Times.

William Eccleshare, chief executive of the company’s operations outside of North America, said the UK business would make more than 50 per cent of its revenues from digital displays in 2016 — the group’s first market to pass that milestone.

Digital displays generated 30 per cent of Clear Channel’s UK revenues in 2015 and less than 2 per cent in 2009.

“We’ve been talking about digital for years but this is the year that we’ll reach a tipping point,” said Mr Eccleshare. “It’s transformational in how we think about the business.”

The rollout of digital screens is being replicated worldwide by Clear Channel and its rivals, including JCDecaux and Exterion Media. Digital screens have become the main source of growth for the outdoor advertising industry, which has outperformed other traditional media such as newspapers and radio in recent years.