oOh!media has completed the sale of its youth-orientated digital publishing business, Junkee Media, to RACAT Group.
Junkee Media has now joined RACAT’s portfolio of publishing, production and digital assets which includes Australian Geographic, game developer and publisher Runaway Play as well as Northern Pictures.
oOh!media said the decision to divest Junkee Media follows the conclusion of a strategic review to focus on the core business of Out of Home media to capitalise on future growth opportunities.
oOh!media added that it will retain branded content and production arm Junkee Studio, which will be relaunched as a part of a new creative proposition in early 2022.
Junkee Media’s editorial, sales and implementation teams will move across to RACAT as part of the transaction and will be headed up at RACAT by experienced media entrepreneur Piers Grove.
“It will be a huge thrill and responsibility to lead Junkee in the months and years to come,” Grove said.
“Our mission at RACAT is to own and operate media companies that in one way or another add something to our world and Junkee does exactly that. We are huge fans of Junkee’s brands, its loyal audiences and the huge array of content it delivers every day. We value the exceptional team that make Junkee the go-to news and entertainment source for millions of young Australians every month.”
RACAT executive director David Haslingden said, “Junkee is a business we are excited to invest in growing and expanding to meet its audience in new and responsive ways. We are grateful to oOh!, Neil Ackland and the entire team for the opportunity to take this exciting brand into the future”.
oOh!media chief content, marketing and creative Officer Neil Ackland said, “As a co-founder of Junkee it was critically important we found the right business that is aligned to its core values. I know that RACAT will be a wonderful home for the team and I’m excited to watch them and Piers take it to new heights.
“My journey with Junkee now comes to an end as I continue with oOh! and I want to thank the brilliant Junkee team for their outstanding work and wish them and RACAT every success in the future.”
oOh!media also announced that it has added over 30 digital locations to its metropolitan and regional roadside billboard portfolio this calendar year, and will close out 2021 with more than 200 large format digital signs across the country.
It said a focus on regional NSW has seen new digital billboards recently going live in Singleton, Armidale and Coffs Harbour, with others set to follow soon in Lismore and Kempsey.
oOh!media added that the rollout is part of a strategic investment program designed to strengthen the company’s existing national leadership position while also expanding its regional digital billboard portfolio.
oOh!media chief commercial and operations officer Noel Cook said the recent additions to the company’s regional inventory, combined with plans for more metropolitan builds in early 2022, would further extend oOh!’s unmatched digital offering.
“We are committed more than ever to delivering a truly national offering, and these new and upgraded assets are a demonstration of our unmatched scale across regional and metro locations, and our ability to reach the largest percentage of audiences,” he said.
“With domestic borders opening in time for summer, Australians are returning to domestic and regional travel. Our key objective is to deliver brands the ideal environment to capture these audiences on their journeys for impactful engagement.”
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