City of Vancouver moves to regulate and expand digital advertising screens
The new framework sets six guiding principles, including that advertising impacts the public realm, those impacts should be offset by community or financial benefits, and that City Council — not developers or advertisers — should decide the balance between revenue potential and neighbourhood character
Advertising rules differ depending on the type of scenario.
For streets right-of-way, the City already generates significant revenue from its street furniture contract, including bus shelters with digital panels. These are projected to bring in $6.6 million in 2025, with each digital panel in downtown Vancouver generating up to $230,000 per year.
On City-owned lands, there are currently 36 billboard faces, generating about $261,000 annually or an average of just $7,250 per billboard.
As for private lands, there are more than 700 static billboards — many grandfathered in before 2017 regulations. These contribute little financial value to the City, though some offer community programming space. Only a handful of digital billboards are currently permitted.
City staff note that digital advertising screens can generate up to eight times more revenue than static billboards — which are traditionally print poster-based — and advertisers are pushing to expand their use.
As an immediate action, City staff will begin the procurement process to gauge market demand for digital advertising screens on City street rights of way. This process will help identify potential providers, preferred locations, and formats before City Council considers formal approvals. Other advertising opportunities — such as on City buildings or park lands — will be brought forward on a case-by-case basis.
The City expects that applying the framework could unlock substantial new revenues that would help reduce reliance on hiking property taxes and user fees.
During the same public meeting, City Council approved a proposal to install a giant digital advertising screen on the rooftop of a building at the northwest corner of the intersection of Granville Street and Smithe Street in downtown Vancouver. In exchange for the approval, the property owner and advertising operator have substantially increased their public benefits package to the City, including air time for community announcements and annual direct financial payments to the municipal government.
Concept of the digital advertising screen on the rooftop of 897 Granville St., Vancouver. (Astral Out-of-Home Bell Media)
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