Clear Channel cuts scale of SG business after LTA contract loss

OOH provider Clear Channel Singapore will be cutting the scale of its local business after the Land Transport Authority (LTA) dropped its bus shelter advertising contract with the company, according to Kelly Khoo, CEO of Clear Channel when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. The bus shelter contract will come to an end on 31 December this year after 22 years.

"[The LTA contract] is a contract of multiple significances, amongst which, its tenure, its size, and its value but the bus shelter contract is not wholly representative of Clear Channel Singapore as a business," said Khoo.

"We may not have a new bus shelter advertising contract, and we have to reduce the scale of our operations, but the Clear Channel Singapore name will continue to exist into the immediate future," she added.

Don't miss: Clear Channel SG unveils near real-time impressions and vehicle count feature

Khoo added that as the businesses is re-purposed, almost a hundred employees will walk the company through a multi-month handover process and be involved in the transition phase. 

The rest will be places in new roles with agency and brand partners and other media owners which include its new advertising operator which will be Stellar Ace. 

Khoo explained that Clear Channel is currently working with Stellar Ace to ensure campaign continuity into 2024 and that booked campaigns will be honored as they are.

"We have great relationships with clients from all industries. They are more than just 'clients', or 'campaigns': they are our partners and friends, and our mutual trust and respect will continue well into the future," she said.

Some of its existing clients include Sony Pictures, Lazada, and Warner. 

Clear Channel has been a key presence in the OOH advertising space in Singapore for many years, working to elevate the space. Most recently, it launched a Clear Channel SG unveils near real-time impressions and vehicle count feature.

The near real-time impressions on programmatic DOOH includes AI-driven vehicle counts that comes with the ability to detect a distance of at least 100m. This feature can identify and differentiate a spectrum of vehicle types including buses, lorries, cars and vans. According to Clear Channel at the time, it is not only new but also a first in Asia.

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