60 NEC projectors to be installed onto station platforms providing new advertising opportunities to potentially millions of commuters
Commuters on London’s Underground ‘tube’ rail network will soon be exposed to digital advertising whilst they wait for their train, with 60 NEC projectors set to go live early next year as part of £80 million investment.
Transport for London (TfL) and partner Exterion Media selected NEC Display Solutions as their official visual display partner for the the launch of its Hello London DX3 network, London’s newest digital advertising channel.
From the beginning of February next year, there will be sixty NEC digital displays across the London Underground network hosting “dynamic, full-motion content,” which customers will be able to watch when standing on station platforms as they travel. The London Underground consists of 11 lines covering 402km and serving 270 stations. Details on the 15 selected stations where each projector will be placed has not been revealed – although they will be restricted to zones 1 and 2, which includes the likes of Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus and King’s Cross.
Jaguar Land Rover, LG, Gillette, Tesco and EOS are amongst the first advertisers to display content across the digital network.
“Being able to provide a display solution for one of the most complex and high profile environments in the world was one of NEC’s hardest challenges. We are very proud to have been able to achieve this together with Exterion Media and to play a part in their vision for Hello London” said Simon Jackson, VP, strategic and vertical sales, NEC Display Solutions.
Dave King, MD at Exterion Media UK concluded: “With Londoners spending more time out of their homes than the rest of the UK, DX3 is a fantastic channel to connect with this hard-to-reach, light TV-viewing audience – complementing video on demand and TV. The high-definition displays will provide advertisers scale, reach, flexibility and immediacy like no other channel in London.”
Chris Reader, head of commercial media at TfL added: “Our new Hello London DX3 network is an exciting addition to the Tube, making it more attractive to brands by allowing them to engage with the London audience and create more memorable moments for our customers. We are investing £80m as part of Hello London to raise further revenues to reinvest in our transport network from our advertising estate, which is already the most valuable in the world.”
Models
The Cross Track projection solution comprises an NEC 14K lumen PH1400U projector enclosed within an NEC designed housing, projecting displays which are 4.5m x 2.4m in size. These displays are to be located at fifteen different Tube stations within Zone 1 and Zone 2, starting at five of the Tube’s most popular stations, including Liverpool Street and Oxford Circus. DX3 enables advertisers to reach one of the world’s most diverse and engaged audiences with millions of people using the London Underground every day.
Exterion media service delivery and operations director, Adrian Lovejoy, responsible for the digital transformation programme on the TfL estate stated: “Developing and launching London’s newest full-motion digital network across London Underground has been a complex engineering challenge. Every station environment is unique and we’ve worked to exacting standards in partnership with NEC Display Solutions who have developed the projector and technical solution. Together with Telent Technology Services who have provided installation expertise, we have collectively delivered an industry leading visual experience.”
The displays are a significant investment in TfL’s advertising estate, and part of Hello London’s wider strategy, which looks at creative new ways to increase revenue and enhance advertising. TfL has seen an increase in its advertising revenue with more than £140m generated in the last year to be invested back in the transport network.
