Core Insights - A five-year collaboration between Clear Channel Outdoor and Kantar demonstrates that out-of-home (OOH) advertising outperforms connected TV (CTV) and digital channels in key metrics such as ad awareness, brand favorability, and purchase intent [1][3][4] - OOH advertising shows a significant 13.3% increase in ad awareness compared to digital media, TV, and CTV, highlighting its effectiveness in capturing audience attention [2][6] - The partnership provides actionable insights into how OOH drives brand impact, reinforcing its role as a high-performing channel essential for a balanced media strategy [3][4] OOH's Unique Value - OOH serves as a vital medium for addressing gaps that other channels cannot fill, especially as digital ad performance plateaus [5][6] - It bridges the gap between performance marketing and brand building, making it a high-performing media channel for driving awareness and improving brand affinity [5][6] - OOH consistently delivers higher brand awareness and engagement compared to digital media and matches linear TV in driving favorability and purchase intent, showcasing its efficiency [3][6] Industry Context - The findings come at a critical time as marketers face increasing economic uncertainty and fragmentation in the media landscape, making OOH an essential component for optimizing marketing spend [4][5] - The collaboration emphasizes the importance of leveraging OOH as part of a balanced media mix to unlock powerful channels that drive both immediate results and long-term brand growth [4][5][6] - OOH's ability to reach incremental audiences and drive consumer action positions it as a crucial channel for achieving impactful marketing strategies in today's evolving media landscape [7][8]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has achieved $35 million in corporate cost savings, primarily from selling European and Latin American operations, with further cost reductions expected as the transition service agreements (TSAs) expire [62][64] - The company currently holds approximately $300 million in cash, with a new baseline liquidity level expected to be less than half of the previous $150 million requirement [63][65] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The airport advertising segment has seen significant revenue growth, with a focus on fewer, larger contracts leading to increased revenue per passenger [14][16] - Digital advertising continues to grow, with a significant portion of roadside inventory available for programmatic sales, although some airport contracts face challenges due to copy approval processes [57][58] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is experiencing strong demand in the AI sector, particularly in San Francisco, and anticipates growth in media and entertainment advertising as studios plan to support upcoming releases [20][22] - The auto insurance market is recovering, although it has not yet reached its full potential, while the pharmaceutical sector presents promising opportunities despite being methodical in its approach [29][30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on digital conversions and debt repayment as primary capital allocation priorities, with a commitment to maintaining a strong digital presence across its markets [66][68] - The management team emphasizes the importance of regulatory environments in determining the pace of digital conversions, with a goal to increase digital revenue penetration in various markets [53][54] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management does not foresee a recession impacting the business, citing stability in advertising campaigns and a strong recovery from COVID-19 disruptions [2][5] - The company has derisked its operations significantly, which should provide a buffer against potential economic downturns [8][64] Other Important Information - The company is in the process of finalizing a transaction involving its Brazilian operations, which is expected to bring in cash and enhance its financial position [36][38] - The MTA contract in New York is anticipated to ramp up revenue over time, with expectations for profitability by 2025 [40][42] Q&A Session Summary Question: What changes are being observed in the advertising market? - Management noted that there has been no significant change in advertiser behavior, with programmatic advertising continuing to perform well [2] Question: How does the company view the potential impact of a recession on out-of-home advertising? - Management expressed confidence that the out-of-home sector would hold up well, drawing on historical resilience during past recessions [5][7] Question: Can you provide updates on specific verticals such as AI, media, auto insurance, and pharma? - AI is still emerging, with strong activity in San Francisco; media and entertainment are expected to see increased spending; auto insurance is recovering but not at peak levels; and pharma is a promising but methodical sector [20][29][30] Question: What are the company's capital allocation priorities moving forward? - The focus will be on digital conversions, debt repayment, and utilizing proceeds from asset sales to improve the capital structure [66][68]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Organic revenues grew slightly, in line with previous guidance, while OIBDA was $64 million and AFFO was $24 million [8][19] - Consolidated adjusted OIBDA totaled about $64 million, a 3% decline versus the prior year, but excluding certain costs, adjusted OIBDA would have increased [18][19] - Total net leverage was 4.8 times, within the target range of four to five times [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Billboard revenues were down 1%, impacted by the exit of a large New York billboard contract, while digital billboard revenues increased by 5.4% [8][9] - Transit revenues grew by 2.6%, with strong growth in New York MTA offset by weakness in other franchises [9][10] - Combined digital revenue performance grew almost 7%, representing nearly 33% of total organic revenues, up from about 31% last year [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Local revenues were down 3% year-on-year, while national revenues grew by 4%, driven by improved advertising sales efforts [11][12] - The strongest billboard region was identified as the South, while the West, particularly LA, faced challenges [10][44] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on four strategic imperatives: optimizing sales strategies, modernizing workflows, driving new demand from non-out-of-home advertisers, and ensuring operational excellence [7][22] - The management is committed to unlocking significant potential within the company and improving cost efficiencies [7][18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management expects second quarter revenues to be similar to the first quarter, with billboard revenues flattish to slightly down and transit up low to mid-single digits [22] - Despite economic uncertainties, there are no indications of cancellations or a likely recession, with expectations for mid-single-digit growth in reported 2025 consolidated AFFO [19][22] Other Important Information - The company announced a $0.30 cash dividend payable on June 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 6 [21] - The company plans to exit another large but marginally profitable billboard contract in Los Angeles, which is expected to have a limited impact on adjusted OIBDA and AFFO [15][18] Q&A Session Summary Question: What percentage of ad categories are goods versus services, and which is more resilient in the current environment? - Management noted that most of their categories are services, with some postponements observed in automotive, government, and retail sectors, but no significant reductions [26][28] Question: How is media and entertainment spending trending in LA, and is the exit of the LA contract related to the fire? - Management emphasized the importance of the media and entertainment category in LA and clarified that the exit was not related to fire incidents, focusing instead on profitable contracts [31][33] Question: What is the status of the MTA contracts and the impact of congestion pricing on transit growth? - The MTA contract increased slightly, and while it's hard to trace the impact of congestion pricing, there are indications of higher ridership [35][36] Question: Can you elaborate on potential cost savings or operational efficiencies? - Management clarified that the focus is on demand generation and modernizing the tech stack rather than just efficiency, aiming for a laser-like focus on growth drivers [41][43] Question: Are there differences across geographies in revenue trends aside from exited contracts? - The West has been challenging, while the South and Midwest are performing well, with the East benefiting from strong MTA transit performance [44]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Organic revenues grew slightly, in line with previous guidance, while OIBDA was $64 million and AFFO was $24 million [6][17] - Consolidated adjusted OIBDA totaled about $64 million, a 3% decline versus the prior year, but excluding certain costs, adjusted OIBDA would have increased [16][17] - The company expects reported 2025 consolidated AFFO to grow in the mid-single digit range despite an uncertain economic environment [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Billboard revenues were down 1%, impacted by the exit of a large New York billboard contract, while digital billboard revenues increased by 5.4% [6][7] - Transit revenues grew by 2.6%, with strong growth in New York MTA offset by weaknesses in other franchises [7][8] - Combined digital revenue performance grew almost 7% and represented nearly 33% of total organic revenues, up from about 31% last year [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The strongest categories during the quarter were legal, utilities, and financial, while weaker categories included health and medical, government and political, and CPG [8] - Local revenues were down 3% year-on-year, while national revenues grew 4% during the first quarter [9] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on four strategic imperatives: optimizing sales strategies, modernizing workflows, driving new demand from non-out-of-home advertisers, and ensuring operational excellence [5][6] - The management team is committed to unlocking significant potential within the company and improving cost efficiencies [12][41] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expects second quarter revenues to be similar to the first quarter, with billboard revenues flattish to slightly down and transit up low to mid-single digits [20] - The company is optimistic about the second half of the year, with current pacing better than the first quarter [20] Other Important Information - The company announced a $0.30 cash dividend payable on June 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 6 [19] - Committed liquidity is over $600 million, with a total net leverage of 4.8 times within the target range [18] Q&A Session Summary Question: What percentage of your ad categories are goods versus services, and which is more resilient in the current environment? - Management noted that most of their categories are services, with postponements seen in automotive, government, and retail, but no significant reductions [24][26] Question: How is media and entertainment spending trending in LA, and is the exit of the LA contract related to the fire? - Management emphasized the importance of the media and entertainment category in LA and clarified that the exit was not related to fire but rather focused on profitability [30][32] Question: What is the latest on the MTA contracts and the impact of congestion pricing on transit growth? - The MTA contract increased slightly, and while it's hard to trace the impact of congestion pricing, ridership metrics seem to indicate higher activity [34][35] Question: Can you elaborate on potential cost savings or operational efficiencies? - Management highlighted that the focus is on resetting sales strategies and modernizing the tech stack to drive revenue and efficiency [40][41] Question: Are there differences across geographies in revenue trends aside from exited contracts? - The West has faced challenges, while the South and Midwest are performing well, particularly with MTA transit performance in the East [43]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a 1.1% increase in acquisition adjusted revenue for Q1 2025, marking the sixteenth consecutive quarter of growth [4][10] - Adjusted EBITDA was $210.2 million, a slight decline of 0.8% from $211.9 million in Q1 2024, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 41.6% [10][12] - Adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) totaled $164.3 million, up 3.8% from $158.2 million in the previous year, with diluted AFFO per share growing 3.9% to $1.60 [10][15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Local and regional sales accounted for approximately 82% of billboard revenue, continuing to grow for the sixteenth consecutive quarter [10] - Programmatic revenue increased by about $2 million, translating to nearly 30% growth year over year [6][18] - Digital billboard revenue rose by 4%, representing around 30% of total billboard revenue [6] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Central and Midwest regions showed relative strength, while the Southwest region, including Las Vegas, exhibited weakness [18] - Categories of strength included services (up 11%), retail (up 6%), and construction (up 15%), while gaming and restaurants showed declines of 9% and 4% respectively [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on maintaining its leadership status in the out-of-home advertising industry, with a strong balance sheet and a commitment to acquisitions [7][12] - The company plans to exceed its projected $150 million in acquisition spending for the year, having already closed 10 deals worth approximately $22 million in Q1 [7][12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the resilience of the out-of-home advertising medium, noting no cancellations or significant concerns from customers [5][17] - The company affirmed its full-year AFFO guidance of $8.13 to $8.28 per share, indicating a stable outlook despite broader economic uncertainties [15][17] Other Important Information - The company repurchased $150 million of its stock at an average price of just over $108 per share, reflecting confidence in its market position [7][14] - Total consolidated debt stood at approximately $3.2 billion, with a weighted average interest rate of 4.6% and total leverage of 2.85 times net debt to EBITDA [12][13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Expectations for organic revenue growth and national softness - Management indicated they are 75% booked to their goal of approximately 3% organic revenue growth, with national weakness attributed to changes in large customers' buying habits [23][25] Question: Economic slowdown and indicators of weakness - Management noted that shorter cycle sales, particularly digital, serve as indicators, and current performance is solid, providing confidence [31][32] Question: M&A landscape and expense growth expectations - Management expects to exceed $200 million in acquisition activity for the year and maintains a 3% expense growth outlook [41][42] Question: Addressing national weakness and digital conversion pace - Management acknowledged national weakness but noted that programmatic growth helps offset it, with digital conversion goals still on track [47][48] Question: AFFO per share guidance and expense growth drivers - Management clarified that the AFFO guidance remains unchanged despite share repurchases, and elevated expenses were due to one-time items and health insurance costs [53][56]

SAN ANTONIO, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) (the "Company") today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025."Our first quarter consolidated revenue increased 2.2%, in line with our guidance, reflecting growth from our America and Airports segments," said Scott Wells, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. "We are seeing healthy demand across the majority of our markets in the current quarter and have now booked the ...