Chennai Corporation plans to tap nearly ₹100 crore revenue from ads on street light poles and medians

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) expects to generate ₹94.6 crore over three years by using spaces on street light poles and medians. The civic body has initiated a six-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project to assign advertisement rights on medians and street light poles across its bus route roads.

According to GCC officials, over 2 lakh street light poles and more than 17,000 medians along bus route roads (BRRs) within corporation limits will be made available for advertising. This is based on the resolution passed by the GCC Council at a general meeting on February 22, 2024.

According to the resolution, usually a limited budget has been allocated for Out-of-Home (OOH) advertisements in Chennai with advertising agencies. To introduce and promote the new OOH opportunities in Chennai, a pilot project was essential.

Based on the resolution, the current project has been chalked out. It is divided into four packages based on how busy each area is and how much ad revenue it can bring in – that is roads with more vehicular movement and footfall may get more advertisements in these spaces. This will be the pilot, which will undergo a three-month study before tenders are released for the remaining packages, according to civic officials.

GCC’s standards for advertisement displays are restricted to a maximum size of 0.6 metres in length and 1 metre in breadth. As per the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (TNULB) Rules 2023, the annual license fee is ₹3,000 per square metre, with an application fee of ₹2,000 per unit, payable once every three years.

The frame must be 3 centimetres wide and 5 centimetres in length, constructed from steel or aluminium with a galvanised iron backing. Advertising materials must be fire-retardant, low-smoke, zero-halogen, and must follow all Indian and international standards.