SANTA MONICA—On December 13, the Santa Monica City Council approved a franchise agreement for a digital wayfinding and out-of-home advertising kiosk program to provide interactive information for residents and visitors, enhance public safety via emergency capabilities, deliver community messaging, and generate revenues to support City services and programs through advertising sales.
According to a press release from the city of Santa Monica, deployment of the kiosk network would be organized as a franchise agreement with the selected vendor BIG Outdoor for a 20-year term. The agreement is expected to produce a minimum of $5 million in revenue to Santa Monica annually and includes a one-time signing bonus of $4 million. The program comes after the Santa Monica City Council directed staff to pursue public-private partnership opportunities in 2020 as a way to generate new revenues for Santa Monica’s economic recovery.
“This new community messaging and advertising program provides a benefit to residents and visitors while also creating a new much-needed revenue source that can support community programs,” said Mayor Gleam Davis. “The City and the selected vendor look forward to engaging the community as the kiosk program launches.”
