The acquisition will add thousands of advertising displays to Global's UK network, expanding its geographic reach and bringing more inventory into its digital advertising platforms.
UK OoH Market: Global To Acquire Alight Media
UK media and entertainment group Global has agreed to acquire outdoor advertising company Alight Media, expanding its geographic reach and bringing more inventory into its digital advertising platforms.
Announced November 9, the transaction will bring Alight’s national portfolio of more than 1,500 digital 48-sheet billboards, digital and traditional 6-sheet posters, and over 4,000 digital screens in leisure and hospitality venues under Global’s ownership.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
More screens, broader reach
Global entered the outdoor advertising market in 2018 and has since expanded its presence across roadside, transport and city-center environments. Its portfolio includes the major rail advertising contract for Transport for London.
Alight Media, founded in 2019 by Matthew Dearden and Dave Huckerby, has developed a nationwide network that complements Global’s existing locations.
Beyond the additional advertising inventory, the acquisition has a significant technology component.
Global plans to extend its existing advertising infrastructure across Alight’s network, including its Dax digital advertising platform, Global IQ planning and measurement tools, and Adpower self-service advertising system.
The integration is intended to simplify campaign planning, purchasing and measurement while giving advertisers access to a broader selection of outdoor formats through programmatic and other buying channels.
Adpower, in particular, is designed to make outdoor advertising accessible to smaller businesses that may not traditionally have considered the medium.
Competing for advertising budgets
The acquisition also reflects Global’s efforts to make OoH more attractive to advertisers competing for attention across multiple channels. By expanding its network and investing in automated buying, planning and measurement tools, Global aims to strengthen outdoor advertising’s position in a media landscape that includes digital platforms such as Google and Meta.
Simon Pitts, Global’s group CEO, said the acquisition would provide advertisers with greater geographic coverage and improved access to the company’s technology and programmatic solutions.
Dearden, Alight’s CEO and co-founder, noted that Global’s technology and advertising tools would support the company’s next phase of growth.
Both companies will continue operating independently until the transaction is completed.