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 estimate​s​ a further c.£29m helped support charities and communities by 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 at 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.

Visit the Outsmart website to download a copy of the report.