In a 600 million dollar transaction, T-Mobile US is acquiring the DooH platform operator Vistar Media. By integrating its own customer data, the telco giant aims to offer DooH advertising with next-level personalization.
T-Mobile is strengthening its commitment to the DooH market: the mobile communications group is taking over the global platform operator Vistar Media. The transaction will be carried out via the T-Mobile Advertising Solutions division and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. The acquisition positions T-Mobile as a major player in the DooH industry, where Vistar Media’s adtech solutions are considered market-leading alongside the Broadsign platforms.
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Vistar Media operates a comprehensive supply-side platform (SSP), along with demand-side (DSP) and management solutions. Over 1.1 million DooH screens are connected to Vistar’s platforms, which are managed by nearly 370 providers and serve over 3,000 advertising customers. T-Mobile plans to enhance this adtech technology by integrating its own first-party data, derived from anonymized movement and usage patterns of its mobile customers. The US subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom sees this data integration as a significant opportunity to address a gap in the DooH market—providing reliable, up-to-date data volumes for precise targeting and making DooH networks even more appealing.
T-Mobile data to improve DooH targeting
“T-Mobile is always envisioning new ways to deliver for consumers and we see a tremendous opportunity to provide more relevant and personalized advertising,” says JP Colaco, SVP & Chief T-Ads Officer, T-Mobile. “Combining T-Mobile’s customer-centric approach and its expertise as one of the nations most scaled marketers, with Vistar’s leading out-of-home technology means advertisers can easily place their ads where they know their audience will be, improving every step of the customer journey. Together with Vistar, T-Mobile will deliver advertising solutions built by marketers, for marketers.”
The transaction is valued at approximately 600 million US dollars in cash. The closing is contingent on regulatory approvals and other conditions. At the same time, T-Mobile plans to return up to 14 billion US dollars to shareholders in 2025 through its Shareholder Return Program, with the final capital distribution depending on liquidity and the completion of the acquisition.
Exciting M&A year ahead
The announcement follows other significant M&A transactions in the out-of-home market, including Bauer Media Group’s acquisition of Clear Channel Northern Europe and Ströer’s plans to divest its core OoH business. These developments, which all emerged within days of each other, suggest that 2025 will be a highly dynamic year for the DooH sector, with new players positioning themselves to secure a share of this growing advertising market.