UK’s 75Media acquires iQ OOH, nearly doubles roadside DOOH offering

Leeds-based OOH media operator 75Media has acquired London-based iQ OOH for an undisclosed sum. 75Media will incorporate iQ’s 81 digital OOH panels into its own portfolio, and all of its employees, including iQ founders Tim de Monte and David Peters, will transition into the newly expanded organisation.

iQ was founded in 2021, by De Monte and Peters, both former directors at Global. Specialising in digital billboards, the deal will see 75Media almost double its current offering of digital large format roadside locations. The company will now operate over 200 digital billboards in a range of large and ultra large formats across the UK and moves the business towards its vision of becoming the number one roadside OOH network.

Alongside a growing portfolio of 300 large format classic paper billboards, 75Media now has over 500 sites spanning the UK, from Aberdeen in the North to Bournemouth in the South, making it the fastest-growing roadside network in the UK. The company has confirmed it is currently looking for further acquisition opportunities in the industry, as well as pursuing an ambitious organic growth strategy with infrastructure partner Wildstone as part of a 10-year partnership agreement.

Paul Inman, Managing Director at 75Media, said: “We’re very excited to be welcoming Tim, David and the iQ team to 75Media. With their impressive expertise in the industry, and their track record working with the agency sector, it makes perfect strategic sense to bring iQ into the 75Media fold, as our skills, specialisms and sites ideally complement each other.

“This deal is significant as it firmly places 75Media within the top six OOH networks in the UK, and we don’t intend to stop there. Given where we started three years ago, we’ve worked hard to grow in a way that is sustainable, doesn’t compromise our levels of service, and drives significant value for our investors.

“We welcome working with businesses directly as well as with agencies, and that is demonstrated by our mission to become the number one network for brands in the UK. For us, that means high quality sites, strong customer service, supporting clients with planning and measurement and generally making the case for OOH as a hugely effective advertising medium for brands of all types. Bringing iQ on board takes us one step further on that journey.”

Tim de Monte added: “We can see the strength that combining our businesses will bring and look forward to connecting the teams together. Overall, we’re tremendously excited about the proposition we’re evolving in the market and I look forward to bringing an increasingly strong offering to our specialists and agencies.”

75Media now employs 35 people, with its HQ in Leeds and colleagues based in major cities across the UK.