Leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising companies worldwide in 2023, by revenue

In 2023, the French holding JCDecaux SE was the world's leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising company based on revenue, with an annual result surpassing 3.86 billion U.S. dollars. Germany-based Ströer SE & Co. KGaA followed with almost 2.19 billion dollars, although over 1.26 billion dollars (or 58 percent) of that figure came from its non-OOH-related divisions. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (or CCO) and Lamar Advertising Company (both based in the United States) rounded up the top four with about 2.13 billion and 2.11 billion dollars in revenue, respectively.

OOH top player

JCDecaux has led the global outdoor advertising industry for years. Between 2021 and 2023 – when people increasingly returned to public spaces worldwide as COVID-19 subdued – the company's revenue increased by 30 percent. Still, the result amounted to less than 92 percent of the holding's 2019, pre-pandemic revenues. Similarly, JCDecaux's net income grew for the third consecutive year in 2023 but amounted to less than 85 percent of the 2019 figure.

CCO's strategy

Meanwhile, CCO reported a net loss for the seventh year in a row in 2023 – over 300 million dollars. Throughout that year, it sold out its entire Europe-South operations: The business in Switzerland was acquired by Goldbach Group AG and the branch in Italy by JCDecaux. It started an agreement to sell the operation in Spain. According to its financials, CCO also intends to sell businesses in Latin America and the rest of the European market, thus focusing solely on the United States and Canada.