VGI reports 33% rise in Q2 revenue 

The firm targets growth of about 40-50 per cent for this fiscal year. 
VGI chief executive officer Surachet Bumrongsuk said the rise in earnings in the quarter was mainly from the increases in equity holdings in Master Ad, and outdoor-media operator, to 33.88 per cent and in Aero Media from 20 per cent to 28 per cent. 
There was also continued growth in the mass-transit and office-building segments due to an increase in the number of office towers covered, from 118 last year to 146, which brought in extra revenue from OOH ad spending.
Surachet added that net profit in the quarter was Bt209 million, up 4 per cent year on year from Bt193 million.
“The impressive performance for the second quarter contributed to outstanding half-year performance, with a revenue figure of Bt1.262 billion, a 16-per-cent year-on-year increase from Bt1.08 billion, while net profit stood at Bt525 million,” he said.
For the second half of its fiscal year, VGI anticipates continued growth under its synergy strategy by acquiring 90-per-cent stakes in Bangkok Smartcard System and BSS Holdings, operators of e-wallet platforms through Rabbit Line Pay and Rabbit Cards. 
This should enable it to obtain consumer-behaviour data for analysis to ensure a better focus on target audiences and efficient ad performance, as part of its moves to become a “data-centric media hypermarket” and increase the number of ad viewers to 25 million per day and the ad production capacity to Bt7.3 billion from Bt3.9 billion.
Also, VGI stands to benefit from the decision of MACO to expand its OOH network by acquiring 70 per cent of Multi Sign, an ad-management firm with 862 outdoor ad-media platforms. This will improve access to certain audience groups in the provinces, as its existing audiences are primarily consumers with high purchasing power in Bangkok, and create opportunities to enhance revenues from replacement of still-image screens to value-added digital ones.
In addition, VGI has successfully entered the Malaysian market after a joint-venture firm it established with a local partner acquired the right to manage ads in the 11 stations and 58 trains of the 51-kilometre SBK rail line, which will begin the first phase of operations by year-end and become fully operational in mid-2017. It is expected to serve more than 400,000 commuters per day.