Thursday 17 Sep 2026
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(Aug 10): I Squared Capital agreed to acquire Australian outdoor advertising company oOh!Media Ltd at an equity value of A$898 million (US$634 million), ending a months-long takeover contest that drew interest from several global private equity firms. 

Funds managed or advised by I Squared and its affiliates will acquire all oOh!Media shares for A$1.70 cash apiece, according to a statement on Monday. The offer represents a 6.9% premium to Friday’s closing price, and implies an enterprise value for the company of about A$1.04 billion. 

The deal price is double what oOh!Media shares were fetching in late April before Pacific Equity Partners made the initial takeover approach that sparked the bidding war. Sydney-based oOh!media has a sprawling network of more than 30,000 advertising sites across Australia and New Zealand, from roadside billboards to rail stations and shopping malls. 

“Its scale, premium locations, breadth of formats, and extensive concession base underpin a leading market position,” I Squared said in a statement. The global infrastructure investment firm manages about US$60 billion in assets.

Shares of oOh!Media rose as much as 4.9% on Monday morning and were up 28% so far this year as of 11am in Sydney. 

oOh!Media’s board also expects to declare and pay a fully franked special dividend of about A$0.10 a share, the company said Monday. The board unanimously recommended the offer, which isn’t subject to financing or due diligence conditions.

The agreement comes after the lengthy race for oOh!Media. I Squared, Pacific Equity Partners and Oaktree Capital Management had each submitted conditional, non-binding indicative proposals. Bain Capital ended its pursuit in June and decided not to proceed with its offer.

The deal is expected to close in late November or early December, subject to shareholder approval.

Uploaded by Liza Shireen Koshy

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