BBMP strikes gold with LCD hoardings

BBMP strikes gold with LCD hoardings

S. Rajendran

Auctions billboards at seven prime locations; similar steps likely for other city corporations in State

Rs. 2.1 crore a month earned as rent for hoardings in seven locations

BBMP earned revenue of Rs. 10 crore through advertisements last year

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Going hi-tech: Hoardings such as these are expected to make way for state-of-the-art LCD screens.

BANGALORE: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has netted Rs. 30 lakh a month for each of its state-of-the-art liquid crystal display (LCD) hoardings. At an auction held here on Friday, the BBMP netted Rs 2.1 crore a month as rent for the hoardings in seven prime locations.

This is expected to set a new trend in advertisement hoardings, and sources in the Government told The Hindu that this revenue generation concept is expected to be extended to the other major cities of the State —Mangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad and Gulbarga.

It is also the first time in the country that LCD advertisement hoardings are being installed. The new advertisement hoardings for which the auctions were held would be giant LCD boards, and sources said it would incorporate the latest technology. Each LCD advertisement hoarding, expected to cost around Rs 1.5 crore, would be a major public attraction since they could display an advertisement to a set timing similar to the one seen on televisions.

In a way, the new hoardings would also have an effect on the advertisement revenues of the television channels in particular. These hoardings measuring 10 feet by 12 feet each would be a giant colour screen and the BBMP has also obtained a time slot during which it could communicate a variety of information to the people.

The seven prime locations (vantage points) in Bangalore where the LCD hoardings would come up shortly are: Anil Kumble Circle, Brigade Road-Mahatma Gandhi Road intersection, Brigade Road-Richmond Road intersection, Koramangala (from the junction with Hosur Road) , Sankey Road intersection (Cauvery theatre junction), Minerva Circle (commencement of Jayachamarajendra Road) and Commercial Street (close to the entrance). Six well-known advertising companies participated in the tender-cum-auction. Commissioner of BBMP S. Subramanya told The Hindu that he was very happy with the development. “The BBMP has been working at evolving new strategies to step up revenue generation and it is now paying. I have been working at plugging the loopholes in revenue generation and the quantum jump in revenue from advertisement hoardings is a happy augury,” he said.

Mr. Subramanya said the BBMP earned about Rs 6.5 crore from around 3,500 licensed advertisement hoardings last year and inclusive of the tax collected on the advertisement boards on BMTC buses the total revenue was around Rs. 10 crore. This is now expected to increase to Rs. 100 crore by the end of the current financial year.