Clear Channel expands network

Clear Channel Outdoor's rollout of its digital billboard networks has come a long way since it erected the first board two years ago in Cleveland. The outdoor leader is adding digital board networks in two more top 10 markets—Philadelphia and Chicago—and a second net in Los Angeles, which was its first top 10 market in May.In a bid to attract more national advertisers to what primarily has been a local business, the company this year has focused on digital board networks in the top 10 markets."We believe that once we deploy in the major markets, we will have a totally different proposition to offer national advertisers," said Paul Meyer, CCO president and COO.CCO has deployed 76 digital billboards in 14 markets, well on its way to deploying 100 boards in 20 markets by year end. Depending on the market and the board's location, the digital boards increase revenue from five to as much as 10 times. In Albuquerque, N.M., the uptick is close to 15 times.But until May, when CCO built out the digital network in L.A., at least 80 percent of digital inventory was bought by local advertisers. The L.A. network reversed that model. Inventory not only sold out fast, 84 percent of it was bought by national advertisers such as Capitol One, ABC, CBS, NBC and General Motors."It gives national advertisers a lot more options," said Jack Sullivan, senior vp of out-of-home for Starcom. "Some are looking to buy up all the rotations, parceling it out to several brands, or an advertiser can take one brand and tell a story."Outside the top 10 markets, the digital boards remain in high demand among local advertisers, which have shifted budgets to take advantage of the signs' ability to change copy at a moment's notice. Liberty Ford, owner of five dealers in Cleveland, moved $500,000 from other media to buy a year on the network, even picturing CCO's digital sign on its Web site.

Source: MediaWeek