oOh!media Limited (sometimes written as Ooh!media, oOh! Media or simply Ooh!) is an Australian

outdoor advertising Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, also called outdoor advertising, outdoor media, and out-of-home media, is advertising experienced outside of the home. This includes billboards, wallscapes, and posters seen while "on the go". It also includes pla ...

and media company based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia. The company was founded by Brendon Cook as Outdoor Network Australia in 1989, and is one of Australia's largest operators of out of home advertising products.

History

The company was founded in 1989 as an advertising site representation business called Outdoor Network Australia by Brendon Cook. The company listed on the

Australian Securities Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...

(ASX) in 2002 as Network Limited (ASX:NWK), rebranding as oOh!media in 2008, following the acquisition of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

based firm Media Puzzle. Also in 2008, it acquired regional advertising company Sports & Outdoor Media in a $40 million deal. In 2012, oOh!media was privatised by Champ Private Equity and WWP. Shortly after being privatised, the company acquired EYE Corp from

Ten Network Holdings Ten Network Holdings Ltd, commonly referred as Paramount Australia & New Zealand, is a major media company in Australia. Headquartered in Sydney, its major asset is Network 10, a free-to-air television network. Formerly a public company listed ...

for $145 million (which was later reduced to $113 million). In December 2014, the oOh!media was floated once again on the ASX, raising $169 million for its shareholders, which prior to listing were Champ (75.5%), WPP (20.3%) and the remainder by management and other stakeholders. In 2016, oOh!media purchased 85% of

Junkee Media Junkee Media, formerly known as Sound Alliance, is a digital media company based in Australia. According to the company, Junkee Media's websites attract a monthly audience of over 2 million unique browsers. Nearly 70 per cent of the website's tr ...

for $11 million. It acquired the remaining 15% several years later. In 2017, oOh!media planned to merge with rival APN Outdoor, however was aborted after the

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...

raised preliminary concerns. In June 2018, oOh!media purchased street furniture business Adshel for $570 million from Here, There & Everywhere, in a competitive

bidding war A bid price is the highest price that a buyer (i.e., bidder) is willing to pay for some goods. It is usually referred to simply as the "bid". In bid and ask, the bid price stands in contrast to the ask price or "offer", and the difference between ...

against rival APN Outdoor. In January 2020, founder Brendon Cook announced he would step down as MD and CEO.

Cathy O'Connor Cathy O'Connor is an Australian media executive.(8 October 2016Nova Entertainment CEO Cathy O'Connor inducted into Radio Hall of Fame Commercial Radio Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2018. Career Her radio career began in 1985, when she worke ...

was announced as the new CEO in August 2020. In December 2021, oOh!media sold Junkee Media to RACAT Group. oOh!media retained Junkee’s branded content and production arm, Junkee Studio. Junkee Media CEO Neil Ackland remained at oOh!media.

References

External links

* {{S&P/ASX 200 Companies based in Sydney Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Marketing companies established in 1988 Marketing companies of Australia 1988 establishments in Australia