The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a Dh3 billion ($817 million) Dubai Metro advertising contract to a consortium of three companies.

The 10-year contract for advertising on the Red and Green lines was bagged by SMRT Media (Singapore), Kassab Media and Wellmark Communications, said a RTA official.

Dubai Metro Ads Contract is based on commercial partnership (revenue-sharing agreement) between RTA and the winning consortium.

As per the contract, the consortium will plan the advertising space, and attend to design, operation, and marketing of media services in Dubai Metro Stations and on board train carriages, explained Mattar Al-Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA.

“The winning consortium will use top-notch ad technology in a way compatible with the profile of Dubai Metro Project,” he added.

Al-Tayer and Ghassan Arah, CEO of Kassab Media signed the 10-year long contract.

'RTA put out an international tender for Dubai Metro Ads Project; which provided a new platform in the region for companies to market their various products and brands.'

According to Al Tayer, RTA had received offers from four international companies and consortiums.

'The project comprises leasing media spaces in the 47 Dubai Metro Stations as well as train carriages operating along the Red & Green Lines extending 75 km (52 km in the Red Line and 23 km in the Green Line),' he noted.

The contract also includes footbridges, underpasses and pillars of Dubai Metro track, as well as emergency exits and mobile display monitors.

'Dubai Metro Project is becoming a point of attraction to several companies and organizations looking for an access to market their services and products, particularly noting that Dubai Metro will account for 17 per cent of trips in the emirate; with an estimated ridership of 23000 passengers per hour in a single way,' he added.

Ghassan said Dubai Metro ads contract would contribute to the growth of the UAE ad expenditure, particularly in the outdoor sector.

'The project is bound to be culminated with success for several considerations, including application of the latest ad technologies worldwide, provision of a unique travel experience to customers, and providing a multitude of opportunities for those concerned with marketing and buying media spaces targeting a unique audience, and using state-of-the-art media technologies,” he added-TradeArabia News Service