• by David Kaplan , September 15, 2004

NBC Universal and European outdoor advertising purveyor JCDecaux Group have formed a joint partnership called NBCDecaux, which hopes to install advertising-related "street furniture" in New York City.

The company was formed to respond to a request for proposals issued by the City of New York for a 20-year coordinated "street furniture" program, supported by the sale of advertising. Street furniture, in this regard, refers to newsstands, information kiosks, trash cans, bus shelters, and other potential "public amenities," a spokesman for NBC Universal said.

Additionally, the city's RFP calls for "a minimum 20 self-cleaning automatic public toilets."

JCDecaux has handled similar projects in municipalities all over the world, as well as in American cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The New York City Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the city's street furniture program, is expected to award the 20-year contract within the next two months, a DOT spokeswoman said.

A Decaux rep noted the possibility for cross marketing deals involving NBC properties such as its local TV stations to help promote the advertising that could be used on the street furniture.

"With NBC Universal, and its local stations WNBC and WNJU, this great team has the ability to deliver maximum value to the city of New York," the Decaux rep said. "When the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, that's where the synergy comes in." The partnership could also expand to other cities, she added.

JCDecaux North America, the stateside subsidiary of JCDecaux Group, owns 70 percent of the new company, with the balance owned by NBC Universal. Both companies are headquartered in New York City.