MediaWorks joins Calibre

MediaWorks has joined JCDecaux and oOh!media as a shareholder in audience measurement platform Calibre.

The move cements Calibre as the true industry Out of Home measurement platform offering agencies a single AMS which covers 85% of all outdoor assets in New Zealand. It also coincides with independents Media5, Advantage Media, Bekon and Vast onboarding as licensees into the platform.

The Calibre platform was first created for JCDecaux by Reach Media five years ago and at that time as a billboard only measurement tool. Following a scope of other potential solutions oOh!media became a joint owner with JCDecaux 18 months ago, signalling the intent for Calibre to become the benchmark for OOH audience measurement in the New Zealand media market. Ownership will now be equally shared between the three market leaders.

MediaWorks Outdoor Director Angus Swainson says having a single AMS to make planning out-of-home media is a game-changer.

“Bringing together the innovation and experience of JCDecaux, oOh! and MediaWorks is hugely exciting and will unlock further sector growth in this dynamic and evolving space.

“We are delighted to be welcomed into the Calibre joint venture and look forward to working with our partners to deliver on its huge promise.”

JCDecaux New Zealand Country Head Mike Watkins says, “This is a truly exciting time for the Out of Home industry of New Zealand. The combined strategic efforts of oOh! and now MediaWorks have elevated Calibre to become a world-class audience measurement platform. The new ownership structure will allow continuous development of Calibre, including new Out of Home formats not currently represented.”

oOh!media General Manager, New Zealand Nick Vile says, “This represents another significant step forward for our sector. For many years our clients have been telling us they want one source of OOH audience truth and consistency across all OOH channels to map audiences across their daily journeys. Unification under Calibre will not only set the standard for audience measurement but supports our evolution from a location to audience sell, further enhancing the value we offer to advertisers.”

All new members are expected to be live on the platform in Q3.