Roadshow Media, 73 per cent owned by Kowloon Motor Bus, is planning to buy out the agency that handles all the on-board broadcast advertising of New World Bus. Sources said the move followed a co-operation agreement Roadshow entered into last week to provide all on-board video programmes for First Place Advertising Agents (FPAA). The agreement, involving New World's 700 buses, gives Roadshow the largest multimedia on-board advertising platform in Hong Kong. It already has the rights to exterior panel advertising on more than 5,000 double-decker buses and the display advertising space of 2,500 bus shelters. New World Bus has contracted out all its advertising business to three agents - FPAA, Buspak, the largest Australia outdoor advertisement agent, and JCDecaux Texon. A spokesman for FPAA said the co-operative agreement over video content production would be valid for a fixed term with an option for renewal. The growth of multimedia on-board advertising services is largely influenced by the state of the local economy. Even though it enjoys a high market share, Roadshow has seen declining profits since the tech boom of 2001, especially during the Sars epidemic. The company had $523.1 million in cash and balances on hand as of June 30 last year, its records show. It has about 16,000 LCD monitors installed on buses which telecast a variety of programmes to passengers, including infotainment, news and business, as well as advertisements.