Request ID: FOI-0579-2425 Date published: 20 June 2024
You asked
The average number of days in which advertising slots for each type of display (Tube small poster, Tube large poster, Tube wall poster, bus side, Tube projector screens, etc.) were not displaying paid promotional material during 2023, as well as the number of each available slot type.
I'm essentially interested in the advertising success of TfL. There are often adverts displayed on buses which are clearly weeks or months out-of-date. This leads me to believe that of the 365 days a year in which TfL could be displaying paid promotional material, the real number is significantly lower in some slots. Therefore, I would like to know:
- A list of all kinds of advertisement that TfL or its media partners offer (bus sides, bus wraps, internal bus slots, bus stop displays, bus stop digital displays etc.).
- The number of each slots available on the TfL network.
- The number of days last year that each of these slots were not displaying paid material (either nothing being displayed or material left up after contract's end being not replaced by paid material).
I hope this will be possible. I anticipate that TfL have a substantial commercial wing which has this kind of information recorded in order to measure the success of its advertising offering, so this should not be difficult to find.
I have not requested average rates as this may privilege your commercial interests - however, if you were able to advise me that the average charged rate in each slot would not fall foul of this FOI regulation, that would be of interest!
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-0579-2425
Thank you for your request received on 26 May 2024 asking for information about the advertising uptake on our network.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:
• A list of all kinds of advertisement that TfL or its media partners offer (bus sides, bus wraps, internal bus slots, bus stop displays, bus stop digital displays etc.).
The advertising formats available for the bus shelter contract are: • Digital screens which have the capacity to show up to five digital adverts* • Traditional which is static single paper posters • Scrolling units which have up to three paper posters per unit
On TfL Rail (London Underground, London Overground, Trams, Elizabeth line, DLR and Victoria Coach Station) the formats available are: • Traditional • Scrolling units • Digital - the digital sites on TfL Rail also all have the capacity to show up to five adverts per screen and digital can be found through the station, on and above escalators, in circulation areas and on trackside walls** • Tube car panels – the paper posters within trains • Static lift, stair and escalator panels • Gateline advertising which is the vinyl panels on the ticket barriers • Landmark sites which are static sites on or around escalators
*It is worth noting that for digital advertising, clients will sometimes book more than one slot for their campaign to ensure their advertisements are shown for longer than the one slot – so if five different adverts are not shown it should not be assumed that the sites are undersold.
**For the TfL Rail Contract we also offer what is call Creative Solution advertising, which is vinyl advertising which is installed outside of an advertising frame and these types of campaigns are sold on an ad-hoc basis and the components of Creative Solution advertising is bespoke for each campaign and due to this we do not have a set inventory.
Please note that the only involvement we have in the bus advertising contract is to ensure creatives are compliant with the advertising policy, the actual contracts for buses are between the individual bus operator and the media partner. Therefore we are not able to advise on the inventory/formats available for buses.
In addition to the above, we also have roadside media advertising which include billboards and digital advertising screens. These are dealt with on a site by site basis and each site is developed in partnership with our media partners. Each site can be different, depending on its location.
• The number of each slots available on the TfL network
Bus shelters: • 610 digital sites • 8,649 traditional sites • 759 scrolling sites
TfL Rail: • 16,495 traditional sites • 123,632 Tube car panels • 945 digital sites*** • 41 landmarks • 78 scrolling units • 11,520 static lift, stair and escalator panels • 778 gatelines****
***the Digital figure for TfL Rail includes the digital escalator advertising, and the figure shown is for the whole escalator run and not the individual screens on an escalator. For example, on Escalator 4 at Liverpool Street there are 34 digital screens along the escalator incline, this is recorded as one site in the figure above – this is because digital escalator advertising is sold as a pack and not individually.
****The gateline figure is the number of gatelines that have the capacity to display advertising and not the specific number of panels on the gateline.
We have around 200 roadside media billboard sites. This is a mix of paper/digital sites.
• The number of days last year that each of these slots were not displaying paid material (either nothing being displayed or material left up after contract's end being not replaced by paid material).
We do not hold this information on when each site is sold/not sold as this is not information our media partners are required to provide us.
The majority of advertising campaigns are posted for the length time the clients requested and paid for. In some cases, where it may appear the date of an event has past and therefore the campaign does not appear to be live, some clients request the booking to be extended. For example, some clients may want a film poster to appear for the duration it is showing in cinemas.
Please note that the above data is correct as of May 2024.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
