Eccleshare, Clear Channel: Romania has too much outdoor advertising

Romania has too much outdoor advertising, and the market needs to be regulated in order to bring bigger revenues both to advertisers and to local budgets, says William Eccleshare, chairman and CEO of American group Clear Channel International, one of the world's leading players in outdoor advertising.

In Romania the group ranks fourth, with a 10% market share, after Epamedia (Austria), Affichage (Switzerland), and News Outdoor (USA). "Romania has got quite a strong outdoor market. Outdoor advertising accounts for a significant share of the media mix, over 10%, which is quite high compared with European markets, where it usually amounts to 5-10%. But this market needs regulation, order, and control. There are too many billboards that do not benefit the authorities or advertisers in any way," William Eccleshare told ZF in an exclusive interview. He gave the example of the large number of billboards he saw on his way from the Otopeni airport to Bucharest.