The evolution of billboards from paper and glue to dazzling LCD displays is proving to be a boon for APN Outdoor and oOh!Media.
Digitisation has translated into rivers of revenue for the two outdoor advertising companies, who revealed solid rises in full-year profits on Monday.
In their first results as listed companies, both comfortably beat the forecasts outlined in prospectuses ahead of their 2014 stock market listings.
The earnings growth was driven by the uptake of digital advertising platforms on top of traditional posters and billboards.
They range from small screens in office lobbies and cafes to interactive wall displays on train platforms which flash everything from video announcements to news and weather updates.
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Advertisers are attracted to the opportunities presented by electronic screens which can broadcast material in a timely fashion and in high quality.
"Digital's added another string to our bow, it's added another capability to engage an audience and to have advertisers look at different creative ways they can use the medium," oOh!media chief executive Brendon Cook told AAP on Monday.
His company saw digital sales grow to make up a third of its revenue, while APN Outdoor also saw digital expand to almost a quarter of its total.
By 2019, oOH!Media is expecting digital to make up half of revenue.
It added more than 9,000 new digital retail screens and 17 digital roadside panels last year while APN put in 18 large-format digital screens, and plans to put in 20 more this year.
Both companies are accelerating their digital roll-out, with plans to convert more static billboards and posters.
They're also forecasting double digit revenue growth in 2016.
Outdoor advertising is the second highest growing market in the advertising space, behind online digital, but in front of television, radio and newspapers.
APN OUTDOOR
* Revenue up 20pct to $300.8m
* Statutory net profit of $41m, up from $12.2m loss
* Pro forma net profit up 91pct to $41.4m
* Fully franked final dividend of 11 cents, up from one cent.
OOH!MEDIA
* Revenue up 7.1 per cent to $279.8m
* Statutory net profit $18.4m, compared to $24.8m loss
* Pro forma net profit $19.2m, compared to $1.9m loss
* Full year dividend up 3.9 cents to 6.7 cents per share.
