Mayfair Equity Partners, a dedicated digital investor with over £2 billion in assets under management, has completed the management buyout of i-media, a leading DOOH media owner. Mayfair has acquired a majority stake in the business alongside the i-media management team.
i-media has developed the UK’s largest network of full motion large-format digital screens at MSAs via exclusive partnerships with major operators including Moto, Welcome Break, Roadchef, and Extra. With a presence at 130 roadside locations, i-media gives advertisers access to UK motorists, a varied and affluent audience, reaching an average of 6.3 million weekly visitors and more than 31 million unique visitors annually in a high dwell-time environment.
i-media’s closed loop network leverages data, including Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, to improve audience targeting. It allows for the delivery of advertising that responds in real time to the make, model and age of the vehicles at an MSA, generating insights on the audience targeted by advertisers. This approach delivers dynamic, contextual advertising that generates a tangible and measurable return on investment (ROI) for customers including Disney+, McDonald’s, and VW group.
Under the leadership of industry veteran Jonathan Lewis, i-media has grown revenues by 5x over the past 3 years. Mayfair is partnering with Jonathan and his team to accelerate the roll out of new digital screens, invest in new data capabilities and develop the rapidly growing opportunity in programmatic OOH advertising.
Jonathan Lewis, CEO of i-media, commented: “At i-media, we deliver dynamic digital content to broadcast-sized, high-quality audiences throughout the UK. Every week, our network reaches millions of people with advertising content that changes in real-time, triggered by events such as weather conditions and traffic build up.
“The Mayfair team’s track record of backing innovative Out of Home media specialists and owners, makes them the ideal partner for i-media. We’re looking forward to working with them on the next phase of our growth plan, rolling out digital assets to reach and engage more consumers, and to maximise and measure returns for some of the world’s biggest brands.”
Bertie Aykroyd, Partner at Mayfair Equity Partners, said: “i-media is one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative DOOH media owners, combining a high-quality audience with first-class digital and data capabilities. Jonathan has a first-class track record of scaling OOH media owners, and we’re delighted to be partnering with him and his team for the next stage of i-media’s exciting growth journey.”
i-media was advised by GP Bullhound and Mayfair was advised by Highstead Partners on the transaction.
