Scott Wells

Chief Executive Officer, Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.

Search every verified Scott Wells interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Scott Wells, Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, spoke at the 2025 OAAA Breakthrough conference in Nashville, where he was introduced as the association's new chair. In his remarks, he said the out-of-home advertising industry grew faster than other measured media in the prior year and would do so again, and he described the sector as having regained momentum after setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic. Wells stated that out-of-home is the "least well compensated medium" in terms of cost per thousand impressions (CPMs) and argued that the industry needs confidence in its product to improve pricing. He also said that challenges facing social media, including data privacy issues, and the decline of linear TV create an opportunity for out-of-home to fill a void for advertisers seeking reach and brand fame. In earlier comments from a 2018 industry town hall, Wells discussed Clear Channel Outdoor's digital strategy, noting that digital revenues were about 15% of the company's total at the time, behind the U.S. average of roughly 20%, and that other markets like the UK had digital revenues exceeding 50%. He described plans to increase digital hardware, including billboards and transit screens in cities such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, and to develop internal platforms for digital transactions. Wells also emphasized the need for the industry to focus on the broader advertising market, saying that while about $8 billion was spent on out-of-home, advertisers spent far more on other media, and he encouraged the industry to set clear expectations for advertisers to build return on investment.