Carlton loses £12m UGC to Pearl & Dean

Cinema advertising company Carlton Screen Advertising has lost a lucrative contract to sell advertising on UGC Cinemas screens.

Its rival Pearl & Dean has been awarded the contract. It has boosted the number of screens it can offer advertisers and now has a near equal share to Carlton Screen Advertising.

UGC operates 43 cinema sites across the UK and Ireland and attracts more than 14 per cent of the total UK cinema audience.

Previously, Pearl & Dean had sold advertising on about 30 per cent of the UK’s screens and the new agreement takes the figure to about 43 per cent. Its other cinema clients include Warner Village, Showcase Cinemas, Apollo and SBC International.

The contract begins on January 7 and the deal is valued at between £10m and £12m. Last year cinema advertising revenue in the UK totalled £92.5m

Pearl & Dean is part of the Scottish Media Group. Christine Costello, chief executive of SMG’s Out Of Home division, responsible for cinema and outdoor advertising, says: “Cinema is an excellent medium for advertisers, attracting valuable and attentive audiences. UGC and Pearl & Dean understand this and we’ll be working closely together to ensure that we can capitalise on the opportunities for advertisers.”