Wildstone expands in regional Victoria with Total Outdoor Media acquisition

Outdoor operator Wildstone has acquired Total Outdoor Media’s entire regional billboard portfolio in Victoria, marking its first portfolio acquisition in Australia and expanding its footprint in the state’s out-of-home market.

The deal includes 14 digital and 38 classic billboard sites across key regional centres such as Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Wangaratta. The acquisition follows Wildstone’s entry into the Australian market last year and comes after an earlier sale-and-leaseback agreement with Alliance Outdoor Media Group to fund two digital spectacular sites.

Unlike its previous partnership model, where it leased assets back to operators, Wildstone will take full ownership of the TOM portfolio and seek new media partners to manage advertising sales for the sites.

Wildstone Australia managing director Noel Cook said the acquisition reinforces the company’s strategy to support media operators and accelerate the digitisation of regional OOH inventory.

“We’re thrilled to have completed our first acquisition in the Australian market and especially pleased to have secured such a strong regional portfolio,” Cook said. “Through this deal, we are enabling regional centres to take advantage of digitisation, as we know the regional audience is a growing and critical part of many outdoor campaigns.”

Cook added that Wildstone remains open to both regional and metro opportunities as it continues expanding in Australia.

“We see the value in having billboard inventory across a diverse range of Australian markets, and this acquisition is just the beginning. More exciting announcements are on the horizon as we expand our footprint.”

TOM managing director Ged Hart said the acquisition underscores the strength of regional OOH advertising.

“The strong demand from advertisers highlights the growing importance of regional out-of-home media. With Wildstone’s vision and expertise, we’re confident these sites will continue to thrive, unlocking even greater opportunities for advertisers in key regional markets,” Hart said.

Wildstone’s Australian expansion is part of a broader international growth strategy, with recent acquisitions also announced in Germany and Spain. The company currently owns more than 5,400 billboards across six countries and has digitised over 1,000 sites in the UK in the past four years.