The technology is adapting at such a rate that it could mean that the days of the humble paper billboard or poster are numbered.
We get to hear a lot about this technology in asset finance through our Technology Finance team. And no more so as when our team heads out to Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world’s largest AV and systems integration trade show, which takes place every year in Amsterdam.
Advances for this constantly evolving technology are coming thick and fast, and what is achievable now will leave you open-mouthed.
For instance, screens displaying adverts around a football pitch can be changed depending on what region you are tuning in from. That means football fans in China and France can be watching exactly the same football game as English viewers, but they will all see different adverts on those perimeter screens tailored to those countries. It could be Chinese cars for China, wine in France and a latest supermarket offer in the UK.
At the touch of a button through the satellite system, advertising on screens can seamlessly be adapted to six or seven different geographical regions.
It’s truly amazing to think how far we have come since the days of cardboard cut-outs at the side of a game - and just think how much advertising revenue that can bring, particularly every time there is stoppage time or a free kick.
The companies savvy enough to invest in these digital screens have the ability to generate advertising per second and per region. It’s just a step on from the tailored advertising we all now see online when browsing the net.
Just look around and you’ll notice these screens appearing more and more, whether it’s part of the Great North Run, at the famous foodie haven of Borough Market in London or even by stores in shopping malls.
In broadcasting industries, we are even hearing about TV studios replacing green screens with LED screens. Then there are universities using this technology in lecture theatres instead of projectors and even cinemas moving away from projectors towards LED.
We have seen a real surge in the popularity of LED screens by businesses who are realising the marketing potential of having moving screen advertising. We’ve been financing LED projects for six years, but nearly three quarters of the value of our funding has been delivered in the past three years alone.
We’ve been involved in many LED Screen installations, events and productions, which ranges from perimeter screens around pitches at football and rugby stadiums to cricket grounds including Kent CCC. Along with those, we have funded these screens at World Cup Fan Zones, music festivals, shopping malls, hotels and even screens at Piccadilly Circus.
We’re expecting to see a lot of these screens at the ISE trade show and the changes taking place as the sizes of the dots on the screen are getting even smaller (the “Pixel Pitch”), meaning there’s the potential for even more detail i.e. 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD) viewing”.
So, take a look around you next time you go to an event or airport as I’m sure you’ll notice more and more of this technology around. Maybe you’ll even be one of those who gets your own screen ahead of the pack?
This is an unregulated product. If you are interested in talking to us about how finance can help support planned projects, talk to our team: