Outdoor faces shake-up as media shops look in house

The outdoor industry is set for a major shake-up as the number of poster specialists grows from three to five.

It is thought that Omnicom Group is considering moving its outdoor media, which is currently held by poster specialist Posterscope, in house.

It is also understood that Publicis Groupe, which is reviewing its outdoor media arrangements, has decided against pooling its business into either Kinetic, partially owned by WPP, or Aegis-owned Posterscope. It is thought that former Van Wagner UK sales director Kevin Shute – who is leading the review of the out-of-home-arrangements for Publicis Groupe Media – will instead launch an in-house poster specialist division. Insiders also claim that Shute is working on plans to create a joint venture for Publicis with InterPublicGroup’s IPM.

It is not clear what the outcome will mean for Kinetic, which holds 45percent of the outdoor specialist market.

Industry insiders say the move could result in a market consisting of five key players: IPG-owned IPM, a much smaller WPP-owned Kinetic, a reduced size Posterscope, OMD and Publicis Groupe. A source says: “Kinetic and Posterscope have had the upper hand for too long.”

OMD Group chief executive Steve Williams denies the group is moving its outdoor in house.

Shute could not be reached for comment.