Ströer: Revenue and EBITDA hit record heights in 2024, with revenue exceeding €2 billion for the first time

Consolidated revenue up by 7% to EUR 2.05b in 2024; core OOH business grows by 11.5% (organic) / Earnings increase at an even faster rate: EBITDA (adjusted) up by 10%; EBIT (adjusted) up by 20% / Net adjusted income climbs by 20% / Free cash flow (adjusted) rises by 96% to around EUR 158m / Strong start to the year: Core OOH business expected to see 13–14% growth in Q1/2025

The preliminary, unaudited financial results for Ströer SE & Co. KGaA in 2024 set new records. Revenue surpassed the EUR 2.0b mark for the first time in the Company’s history. Consolidated revenue grew by 7% (organic growth: 6%) to EUR 2.05b. EBITDA (adjusted) advanced by 10% to a new record of EUR 626m, while EBIT (adjusted) rose even more strongly, advancing by 20% to EUR 320m. Free cash flow (adjusted) also contributed to the positive general picture, almost doubling with growth of 96% to EUR 158m.

The positive trajectory of the Out-of-Home Media segment reflects the ongoing shift in customers’ media mix, seeing them progressively increase the out-of-home (OOH) share. This is being driven, in particular, by unwavering growth in digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising and – within DOOH – by exceptional growth of 34% in programmatic out-of-home (pDOOH) advertising. The revenue share contributed by DOOH business in Ströer’s core OOH-segment (excluding OOH services) rose to around 41% – a new record. And this trend is set to continue, fueled by AI- and data-driven programmatic DOOH business. AI, software, and data will become key drivers of growth in addition to the quality of infrastructure.

Ströer’s proprietary multi-channel supply-side platform (SSP) – ‘Core’ – in which it has invested an amount in the double-digit millions of euros in recent years, provides a fully automated AI-based and fully integrated multi-channel sales platform for its premium assets, both in outernet advertising (DOOH) and in internet advertising (especially t-online). ‘Core’ is an open MarTech marketplace through which Ströer also markets third-party inventory. Using software and first-party data, campaigns can be planned and run programmatically almost in real time for specific target audiences at specific locations. For the first time in the history of out-of-home advertising, this integrates DOOH seamlessly into advertising customers’ digital MarTech ecosystem, allowing the Company to reach many new customers and use cases.

Ströer’s infrastructure company, Ströer Deutsche Städte Medien (SDM), also completed its acquisition of RBL Media, making a further contribution to the consolidation of the German out-of-home advertising market. This step saw Ströer add another attractive offering that complements its own infrastructure portfolio and represents great digitalization potential.

“Digital screens, AI, software, and data are disrupting the OOH market. The outernet is the real-world counterpart to the internet in the world of advertising. Sustained revenue growth of more than 20% in our digital out-of-home advertising business shows clearly that customers are continuing to adjust their advertising budgets in favor of our digital and high-reach screen portfolio. Our new proprietary multi-channel SSP ‘Core’ is playing a key role in this revolutionary process of digitalization, which has swept across the marketing sector as a whole and not just out-of-home advertising. The focus is on MarTech rather than marketing, and ever growing budgets are being directed toward our digital out-of-home advertising infrastructure thanks to links between trading desks (demand-side platforms (DSPs)) and our multi-channel SSP ‘Core’. Through fully integrated DOOH offerings, we are able to offer our customers a high-reach – and high-quality – advertising channel to target their desired audiences in public spaces. The fact that DOOH is embedded in the advertising ecosystem, through ‘Core’, is part of the reason for our success in digital out-of-home advertising. The growing significance of software, AI, and data is a critical factor in Ströer’s success,” says Christian Schmalzl, Co-CEO of Ströer. “Against this backdrop, we are very optimistic about the years ahead. We are expecting the out-of-home advertising business to record growth of between 13% and 14% for the first quarter of 2025. pDOOH continues to be a gamechanger with anticipated revenue growth of more than 30% over the same period. The order books for 2025 indicate a good start to the year.”

All figures for 2024 are preliminary and have not yet been signed off by the auditors. The final figures will be communicated when the annual report is published on March 24, 2025.

 

Disclaimer

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" regarding Ströer SE & Co. KGaA ("Ströer") or the Ströer Group, including assessments, estimates and forecasts regarding the financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management and the future business activities of Ströer or the Ströer Group. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the results of operations, profitability, performance or achievements of Ströer or the Ströer Group to be materially different from any future results of operations, profitability, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and are based on numerous assumptions that may also prove to be incorrect. Ströer makes no representation and assumes no liability with respect to the fair presentation, completeness, correctness, adequacy or accuracy of the information and assessments contained herein. The information contained in this press release is subject to change without notice. It may be incomplete or abbreviated and may not contain all material information relating to Ströer or the Ströer Group. Ströer does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, neither as a result of new information, future events nor otherwise.