2023 SIGN & DISPLAY: OUTDOOR TOPS $1BN

Annual revenue from out of home advertising has topped $1bn for the first time, but print’s share continues to be squeezed by digital's inexorable rise, although print saw a 10 per cent increase in revenue over last year.

The industry that was smashed by Covid has bounced back strongly, with revenue up by 27 per cent on the 2021 figures, and the fourth quarter exceeding the pre-pandemic 2019 figure.

Print’s share though slipped further, with digital now accounting for 64.1 per cent, an increase over the recorded 58.9 per cent for the same period last year. Print’s share is now an all time low of 35.9 per cent.

However, in cash terms spent on print in 2022 the figure rose to $380.5m, up by 10 per cent on the $341.5m for 2021.

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) is now projecting an annual compound growth rate of nine per cent over the next four years, with most of that coming from digital, but it still means a healthy outlook for outdoor print. 

The outdoor industry is starting to receive pushback from residents, disturbed by the imposition of corporate messaging on the cityscape, particularly from digital media. Groups have sprung up around the world taking various levels of action, including vandalism. In Sydney there has been an outcry over the street furniture installed by QMS, particularly the 2.5 metre tall digital billboards placed square on in pavements.