ITV signs deal to lease 20 Clear Channel outdoor sites

ITV has committed a substantial bulk of its £11m media spend to permanent fixed outdoor sites.

The media-owner is to take 20 of Clear Channel’s 50 Golden Squares – front illuminated 20ft by 20ft advertising panels – that are located in and around Central London. The extra spend will be in addition to any that ITV has already committed to outdoor for next year. The agreement will run from March until the end of 2003.

The advertiser is also to take sites at some key overland stations. A spokeswoman for ITV confirmed the move and says that ITV will take some of the permanent sites that had been occupied by Channel 4, which is understood to have withdrawn some of its presence from the outdoor market as a cost-cutting exercise.

The move also follows similar initiatives taken by the BBC, which earlier this year committed £10m of its media spend on 1,000 permanent fixed sites with several outdoor contractors (MW February 14).

The contract for Clear Channel’s 80 large-format sites with Manchester City Council is up for tender. The contractor has looked after the sites, which are both 48and 96-sheet formats, for the past five years. Its rivals JC Decaux and Maiden Outdoor are expected to compete for the business.