Premier Doug Ford says putting billboards on Ontario’s 400 series highways could generate “a couple hundred million” in revenue for the province. #onpoli cbc.ca/news/canada/ki…
I got wondering where @fordnation came up with this figure that billboards along Ontario highways could generate “a couple hundred million” in revenue for the province. So I did some research, and some math.
One of the biggest outdoor advertising companies in Canada, Astral, is part of Bell Media, a division of corporate giant BCE. Here is BCE’s annual report. bce.ca/investors/AR-2…
Bell Media’s total revenues (not profit) for 2018 were $3.12B. Its billboard business (known as “out of home” advertising, or OOH) accounted for 8% of that, so that’s $250 million in revenue (again: not profit). These graphics are from the BCE annual report, page 72. #onpoli 
So to generate Ford’s “couple hundred million” in revenue from billboards, you’d need a company along the scale of Astral, and you’d need to ignore costs. (Bell Media’s total net profits were < $700 million on that $3.12B@revenue. Annual report doesn’t show Astral profit) #onpoli
Bell Media says Astral’s $250 million in revenue came from 31,000 outdoor advertising sites. This is from the BCE annual report, page 73.
Ontario’s 400 series highways add up to about 2,000kms in length. So to get 31,000 billboards along them, that would mean 15-16 billboards every km. Or: roughly 1 billboard every 125 metres on each side of every 400-series highway stretching across Ontario. #onpoli
“We have to think like the private sector does,” said Premier Doug Ford today, while claiming Ontario could generate “a couple hundred million” from billboards along Ontario’s 400-series highway. #onpoli cbc.ca/news/canada/ki…
Another bit of math for @fordnation: with 8 billboards per km on each side of every Ontario 400-series highway, a car travelling at 100km/h would pass one billboard every 4.5 seconds. #onpoli
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