The Media Factory

What The Media Factory does

The Media Factory is a South African advertising media owner founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. The company operates a portfolio of large-format static Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising sites and a Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) network across three provinces — Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal — including iconic placements in first-grade malls (Bedford Centre, Rosebank Corner, Hyde Park, Menlyn Maine, Canal Walk, Festival Mall), theme parks, and coastal regions. Its core products are Large Format Tactical OOH (static billboards and wraps) and DOOH (LED displays enabling dynamic content delivery in high-traffic mall environments). The underlying technology is digital billboard infrastructure supporting scheduled or programmatic content rotation across the LED network.

The Media Factory operates on a sales-led, direct-to-client go-to-market model, selling advertising inventory directly to brands and advertising agencies without disclosed intermediaries or resellers. Revenue is generated through advertising sales — campaign-based placements on both static and digital inventory — with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The company serves a broad customer segment described as 'Brands and Advertisers' seeking high-impact OOH presence in South African retail, entertainment, and lifestyle environments. It maintains partnerships with media and research organizations (598, OMC, brandmapp) to support campaign execution and audience insights. The company is privately held, founder-led by Alan Kietzman (Founder & CEO), and operates with 11-50 employees. No external funding, M&A activity, or institutional ownership has been disclosed.

Name

The Media Factory

Legal name

The Media Factory

Website

https://themediafactory.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Media Factory is a South African OOH and DOOH advertising media owner, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Johannesburg. It sells iconic-site billboard and digital screen placements across Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal to brands and agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Advertising Media

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Place-Based / Retail & Venue Media (Malls, Gyms, Cinema, Office Buildings) (BPAFALAE)

Keywords

• Out-of-home advertising
• Digital billboard network
• Media owner services
• Retail mall advertising
• Iconic site advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. OOH Advertising Sales: Revenue generated from selling out-of-home advertising inventory across iconic sites in South African malls, theme parks, and coastal regions. Clients pay for billboard placements, wraps, and other large-format advertising formats.
2. DOOH Advertising Sales: Revenue from digital out-of-home advertising placements on the company's DOOH network across multiple provinces in South Africa.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Media Factory is a South African media owner that sells out-of-home (OOH) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising inventory across a portfolio of iconic sites located in first-grade malls, theme parks, and coastal regions. The company offers both large-format static tactical advertising placements and a digital LED billboard network spanning Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Product overview

The Media Factory offers a dual-product out-of-home advertising platform consisting of Large Format Tactical OOH and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) services. Large Format Tactical OOH provides traditional static advertising at iconic sites in prime South African locations including first-grade malls (Bedford Centre, Rosebank Corner, Hyde Park, Menlyn Maine, Canal Walk, Festival Mall), theme parks, and coastal regions. The DOOH product delivers dynamic digital advertising through an LED network spanning Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. The two products complement each other by offering both high-impact tactical placements and flexible digital content capabilities for brands seeking to connect with audiences in concentrated retail and lifestyle environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Large Format Tactical OOH Tactical out-of-home advertising featuring large-format static displays and iconic advertising sites positioned in prime retail, entertainment, and lifestyle locations across South Africa including malls (Bedford Centre, Rosebank Corner, Hyde Park, Menlyn Maine, Canal Walk, Festival Mall), theme parks, and coastal regions. Sold directly to brands and advertising agencies seeking high-impact brand awareness placements.
• Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Digital out-of-home advertising network featuring LED displays in high-traffic mall locations across Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, enabling dynamic digital content delivery for brands seeking flexible, digitally-rotating advertising in concentrated retail environments.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 598minorOthersPartner logo displayed on the website. 598 is a South African advertising/media company.
• OMCminorOthersPartner logo displayed on the website. OMC (Outdoor Media Company) is an outdoor advertising company.
• brandmappminorOthersPartner logo displayed on the website. brandmapp is a South African brand tracking and research company.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Primedia Outdoor: Primedia Outdoor is South Africa's largest outdoor (OOH and DOOH) media owner, operating a national network of billboards, street furniture, and digital screens across all major provinces. It directly competes with The Media Factory for mall, roadside, and digital advertising budgets from the same brand and agency clients in South Africa.
• Provantage Media Group: Provantage Media Group is a JSE-listed South African media owner operating transit, mall, and DOOH advertising assets. It is directly comparable to The Media Factory as an owner-seller of place-based OOH and DOOH inventory to the same brand and agency customer base.
• Strokes Outdoor Advertising: Strokes Outdoor Advertising is a South African outdoor media owner operating large-format billboards and DOOH sites across multiple provinces. It is a direct regional competitor to The Media Factory in the place-based and large-format OOH space.
• Outsmart Media (formerly Continental Outdoor): Outsmart Media is one of South Africa's largest outdoor advertising operators with a portfolio spanning billboards, transit, mall, and DOOH formats nationwide. It competes head-to-head with The Media Factory for premium venue advertising rights and brand DOOH spend.
• Global Outdoor Network: Global Outdoor Network is a South African outdoor media owner specializing in billboard and large-format advertising placements across multiple provinces. It is directly comparable to The Media Factory as a regional OOH media owner serving the same brand and agency buyer base.
• TLC Outdoor: TLC Outdoor operates roadside, mall, and digital outdoor advertising sites across South Africa with both static and DOOH inventory. It is a direct competitor to The Media Factory in the placement-based OOH and DOOH segments, especially in Gauteng and coastal regions.

Emerging players

• Hivestack: Hivestack is a programmatic DOOH ad exchange and supply-side platform used by media owners to monetize digital inventory. It is comparable to The Media Factory's DOOH operation as adjacent infrastructure in the DOOH value chain, shaping how programmatic budget reaches networks like TMF's.
• Vistar Media: Vistar Media is a programmatic DOOH infrastructure provider that connects media owners to demand-side platforms. While it does not own screens itself, it is comparable to The Media Factory as a DOOH operating-technology and inventory-monetization layer.

Broad incumbents

• Clear Channel Outdoor Africa: Clear Channel Outdoor is a global outdoor advertising operator with South African operations spanning billboards, transit, and DOOH. It is a broad incumbent competitor that overlaps with The Media Factory on OOH/DOOH inventory sales, particularly in malls and airports.
• JCDecaux South Africa: JCDecaux is the world's largest outdoor advertising company with operations in South Africa spanning street furniture, airport, and DOOH formats. As a global incumbent with a local presence, it overlaps with The Media Factory on DOOH and place-based media but operates at much greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TMF_ZA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Media Factory