OUTDOOR PRINT SHARE SLIPS VS DIGITAL

Print's share of the out-of-home sector has slipped to just 31.9 per cent for the first half of the year, a full ten per cent below the share for this time last year.

In cash terms the amount spent on outdoor print in the first half of the year was $173.4m, down by $27.2m on the same period last year, when print spend was $200.6m.

Overall, the out-of-home sector achieved half year net media revenue of $543.5m, up 11.9 per cent from $485.7m for the same period in 2022. Digital Out of Home revenue accounts for 68.1 per cent of total net media revenue year-to-date, an increase over the recorded 58.7 per cent for the same period last year.

Roadside billboards is the biggest sector of outdoor media, with $236.4m for the half year, up from $224.5m. Street furniture, bus and tram externals and small format roadside, increased by $17.3m, $124.7m from $107.1m. This would include the controversial new QMS digital street furniture in Sydney, which has raised the ire of residents and workers with its in-your-face positioning.

Transport, including airports, is bouncing back from its smashing in Covid, it rose by 55 per cent to $62.3m from $40m, while Retail, Lifestyle and Other hit $120.1m, up from $114.1m.

The stagnating outdoor figures haven’t stopped print businesses from investing – Cactus Imaging, which is owned by oOh! Media has just installed two new five metre printers, including the first Fujifilm Acuity Ultra R2 in the country, and a Durst P5 350. Other outdoor print businesses are broadening their base, particularly to the high-value retail display sector, as shops invest strongly in the customer experience as a tactic to counter the rise of online shopping.