M Core Ventures Takes Full Ownership of UK DOOH Firm Smart Media Group
2026-10-13 · via DailyDOOH
M Core Ventures has taken full ownership of Smart Media Group, the holding company behind UK digital out-of-home operator Smart Outdoor, buying out founder Mark Catterall and the other founding shareholders. The deal consolidates a relationship that began in July 2024, when M Core Ventures first invested and became the company's principal backer.
Steve White, previously a non-executive director of the group and formerly Global Marketing Director at JD Sports, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. According to the release, M Core Ventures is committing new capital to fund the next stage of growth, though no figures were disclosed.
For anyone tracking the UK screen market, the numbers tell the growth story. Catterall founded Smart Outdoor in Sunderland in 2019. Within two years the network had grown to more than 220 screens across the North East and Scotland, reportedly reaching over 12 million people a week. By the time M Core Ventures made its initial investment in 2024, the estate had grown to around 450 screens. The company now says its network exceeds 2,000 screens, spanning high streets, retail, leisure, sports venues and petrol forecourts from Edinburgh to London.
That is roughly a fourfold increase in screen count in under two years, a pace that puts Smart among the faster-growing regional DOOH networks in the UK market, where consolidation by larger players and private equity backing has been a recurring theme.
What the deal means for operators and clients
The companies say the transaction has no impact on day-to-day operations, existing client contracts or partner agreements, all of which continue as before. That is the standard line in ownership changes of this kind, and it is worth watching whether it holds as integration proceeds.
Max Percy, CEO of M Core Ventures, said taking full ownership allows the firm to accelerate Smart's growth and pointed to closer integration with M Core's UK retail estate as a source of new opportunities. M Core Ventures' own retail holdings are not detailed in the announcement, so the practical shape of that integration, whether it means new venue types, bundled inventory, or shared sales operations, is not yet clear.
The announcement does not say what price was paid, how many screens are planned for the next phase, or what becomes of Mark Catterall beyond thanks for "building a solid foundation." For media buyers and venue partners, the immediate takeaway is continuity of contracts paired with a well-capitalised owner now fully in control of strategy.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Smart Media Group, the holding company of UK digital out-of-home media owner Smart Outdoor, has announced that M Core Ventures has acquired the shareholdings of founder Mark Catterall and the other founding shareholders, moving to full ownership of the Group.
M Core Ventures first invested in Smart in July 2024 and has been its principal backer since.
Steve White , a non-executive director of the Group and former Global Marketing Director at JD Sports, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
We understand that M Core Ventures is committing new capital to fund Smart’s next stage of growth.
Mark Catterall founded Smart Outdoor in Sunderland back in 2019. Within two years it was running more than 220 screens across the North East and Scotland, reaching more than 12 million people a week. When M Core Ventures first invested in 2024, the estate stood at around 450 screens.
Today it exceeds 2,000, from Edinburgh to London, across high streets, retail, leisure, sports venues and petrol forecourts.
Max Percy , Chief Executive Officer of M Core Ventures, told us “Taking full ownership allows us to accelerate Smart’s growth. The business has a strong network and a talented team, and closer integration with M Core’s UK retail estate will open up new opportunities. We’re excited about what it can achieve. We thank Mark for building a solid foundation and for his support through the handover.”
The transaction has no impact on Smart’s day-to-day operations, client contracts or partner agreements, all of which continue as normal.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 at 18:16 @803 and is filed under DailyDOOH Update . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.About DailyDOOH Editorial Team Technology Team
AdAI: OOH – Conference Series 2023/2024 2025
AdTECH: OOH Conference Series 2016 – 2022 2022. (Our Eight Events) 2023 2024
Past Events CITY BRIEFINGS The DailyDOOH Gala Awards Returns To New York Thought Leadership Summits
The DailyDOOH Gala Awards Returns To New York
The Software Holocron (Digital Signage, Gesture, Kiosk and Touch)
Categories CEO SPOTLIGHT (101) DailyDOOH Update (15,272) DailyDOOH.net (16) Events (705) Guest Contributions (15) Housekeeping (59) Jobs (81) Scuttlebut (10,377) The Hub (5) Vlog (34) Will Work For Love (42)
Recent Entries Smart Media Group Changes Ownership The Parking Lot Lottery Lights On Afterschool #OOHNYC World’s Largest Flying Digital Screen Today!! Cieslok Group Expands Its Montréal Digital Network 2026 Canadian OOH Awards Winners & Finalists This Week’s @SonyProUSA AV Tech Expo The @YourOAAA Moving & Dynamic Media Alliance New @YourOAAA Technical Advisory Council Australian OOH Grows Again in Q3
OOHNYC World’s Largest Flying Digital Screen Today!!
Cieslok Group Expands Its Montréal Digital Network
2026 Canadian OOH Awards Winners & Finalists
The @YourOAAA Moving & Dynamic Media Alliance
New @YourOAAA Technical Advisory Council
Meta Register Log in Valid HTML5 WordPress