One of the more annoying parts of modern technology these days are those buildings with the Captivate Network television sets embedded into the elevators. If you haven’t seen them yet, check out 250 W. 57th St. to experience the joys of being bombarded with stupid news, stock quotes, the weather for Santa Fe and other nearby cities and, of course, advertising.
Owned by Gannett — the very same publishers of America’s Most Boring Newspaper U.S.A. Today — the Captivate Network really takes the cake as the most intrusive, annoying and unnecessary thing ever to be put in elevators. Now, these TV screens may be coming to public transportation too, but with an interesting and beneficial twist.
Hot on the heels of last week’s subterranean communications meltdown, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced a deal with NBC — a competitor of Captivate — to install these TV screens in PATH trains. Ken Belson of The New York Times has more:
The Port Authority…plans to…[announce] as early as today that it will include eight small, silent television screens by the doors in each of 340 PATH trains that it will begin introducing next year. The screens will broadcast news, entertainment and train departure times as well as alerts on delays, track changes and the like.
As part of a seven-year agreement, NBC Universal will spend up to $15 million to install the screens in the cars and upgrade 50 or so displays now in 13 PATH stations on both sides of the Hudson River.
NBC Universal will also pay the Port Authority up to $300,000 a year and be the exclusive provider of television content. The agreement includes an option to renew the contract for an additional five years.
According to Belson, this deal is part of an effort by PANYNJ to draw in more money by signing what amounts to advertising deals with private companies. Curiously, thought, Anthony Coscia, the Port Authority chairman, had a different take on the deal. “People today want to feel informed about the mass transit route they are using and events that are happening,” he said to The Times. “This has turned an expense into a revenue opportunity.”
Personally, I don’t see this primarily as a way to bring more information to PATH Train riders. I see this is a big advertising boon for NBC and a way for PATH to upgrade their technology at no cost to themselves. They’ll get $15 million upfront for the installation of these screens and then another $300K a year for NBC advertising. If they can use these screens to display service information during emergencies, all the better. But it is first and foremost an advertising deal.
Now, I’ve been advocating deals like this for a while recently, and maybe it’s something the MTA should explore. If a company is willing to fork over big bucks to install the equipment in exchange for the advertising rights, the MTA could witness a technological upgrade with little cost. While some subway purists like to bemoan advertising in the system, it has been and always will be a key moneymaker for the MTA. A little creative — such as subcontracting out a text message alert service or an advertising pattern for in-system TV screens — could go a long way toward bringing the MTA’s technology up-to-date.
9 comments
Hey, Lay off USAToday. They won a Pulitzer last year for Best Investigative Paragraph.
USA Today’s stories are too long
The New York Times is America’s most boring newspaper, by far.
Ugh, another way in which we can be constantly bombarded with advertising.
I think it’s a great idea. A little advertising is a small price to pay for improvements to the system and a way to convey service updates.
The Conde Nast building has these TV screens in their elevators, and I never minded them in the year that I worked there. The screens really come in handy if you get caught in an elevator with the Devil in Prada herself, Anna Wintour.
…and we’re one step closer to Blade Runner.
…and we’re one step closer to Blade Runner.
The long-awaited definitive cut of which will be shown in the New York Film Festival next month.
you know something… cities like Hong Kong and Canton do have TV screens on their subways and buses… so in reality we are delayed..
Speaking of Blade Runner, one of my faves, my wife and I ran into woman at the San Jose airport, who was working on the publicity for the film. She was reading a movie book devoted to its history and told me there will be five dics DVD release in December, one of which will contain the newest Director’s Cut of the film. So in December we will have Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ridley Scott and the beautiful Sean Young to have around the fire.