Debbie Benadiba (left) and Jim Wilson.

Novus Media Canada has been acquired by fellow out-of-home specialist agency Talon, which has aims on boosting its business in Canada.

Previously the Canadian subsidiary of U.S.-based Novus Media, Novus Canada will now be owned by London-based Talon, which has had aims on expanding its business in Canada. The company joined COMMB last year and has been working on several pieces of Canadian business, though they have largely been serviced by its New York office.

“We realized that we needed an on the ground market-leading team in Canada to really focus on the market and ultimately deliver unmissable, measurable client results,” Jim Wilson, CEO of Talon’s U.S. operations, in an email to MiC. He said that acquiring Novus, in particular, stood out as an opportunity because of the agency’s leadership in the field, specialist expertise and track record of success.

“Joining forces gives us an even greater opportunity to realize our growth ambitions in North America, drive higher advertising market share into OOH, increase innovation in the market and unlock more value for brands in Canada,” Wilson says.

Talon works with both brands and agencies on OOH media solutions, with services including buying, planning and platforms to enable OOH buying across screens; those platforms and solutions will now available to Novus teams.

Novus will continue to operate under its own name, which Wilson says is well-known in the market. All current staff are expected to stay on board to support the current client roster, as well as pursue new business.

Novus Media president Debbie Benadiba will also become CEO of Talon’s Canadian operations. She joined the agency in 2019 after more than seven years at Bell Media, where she was VP of sales for Astral when she departed to lead Novus.

“Not only will we be integrated and aligned with Talon’s strategic growth objectives, but we will also be positioned to leverage our combined best-in-class tools and technology for marketers,” Benadiba said of the acquisition. “It positions us to be Canada’s largest, truly independent OOH agency that has compelling and competitive advantages for our clients and agency partners.”