JCDecaux in Partnership with Interstate Outdoor Advertising Signs US's First Large-Scale Digital Billboard Network Contract With the City of Chicago

Regulatory News:

JCDecaux SA (Paris:DEC) (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, announced today that its newly formed joint venture with Interstate Outdoor Advertising and its sister company, Foster Interstate, has signed a 20-year contract with the City of Chicago to operate 34 large (up to 1200 square feet) digital billboards with 60 LED-display panels along City expressways.

The Chicago City Digital Network is the US’s first public-private partnership to create a large-scale digital billboard network on public land. It will serve as a communications broadcast system for emergencies, weather and traffic alerts, safety issues and cultural events while at the same time generating revenue for the City and providing advertisers the best locations along expressways to display messages on a real-time basis.

Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago said: "While the City continues to crack down on illegal billboards we are creating a billboard network with cutting edge digital technology that will allow us to better communicate with residents and travelers about important public safety announcements.”

Jean-François Decaux, co-CEO of JCDecaux said: "Chicago is becoming the Silicon Valley of digital outdoor media. Ten years after winning the street furniture contract delivering prime audiences in downtown Chicago, JCDecaux, in partnership with Interstate affiliates, will develop and operate the best digital billboard locations along Chicago’s busiest expressways, offering a one-stop solution for national and local advertisers in the third largest US market. Billboard advertising represents more than 60% of the US outdoor advertising market and digital billboards is the fastest growing segment. The Chicago City Digital Network will pave the way for JCDecaux to build more digital billboards on an organic basis in other US cities.”