U.S. court upholds LA billboard ban
A U.S. federal court has ruled that the city of Los Angeles’ ban on many new outdoor-advertising sites does not infringe firms’ constitutional right to free speech.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday reversed a lower court’s ruling in favour of advertising company Metro Lights, saying the city’s 2002 ban on new “off-site” outdoor advertising – promoting goods or services that are not offered on the premises where 
New owner ponders future of CoolSign
Planar Systems has disposed of the remainder of its CoolSign digital-signage software arm after selling its casino business to Bally last year.
A late-December cash deal saw CS Software Holdings, a newly-formed company, gain the rights to market CoolSign outside the gaming sector. Both Planar and CS Software Holdings are based in Oregon.
Focus Media discards another OOH unit
China’s Focus Media Holding is further reducing its involvement in out-of-home advertising through the disposal of its Beijing Sports Media subsidiary, which sells advertising in gyms.
The company is being merged in a cash-and-stock deal with larger rival GoodMedia, which is present in more than 1700 of China’s middle-market and high-end gyms. The Focus subsidiary has a presence in about 400 sites.
The merged company will have about
Convention centre creates giant screen
The Manchester Central convention centre in northern England has installed a high-profile digital-signage unit for exhibitors, advertisers and its own promotions.
UK firm Pixel Inspiration developed the system, which consists of six front-projection Supernova screens above the convention centre’s main reception area. The six displays are combined to create a single image more than 9m wide.
The firm also recently used the Supernova screens at Manchester Airport.
Scala sees growth in Germany, opens first office there
Digital-signage software supplier Scala is opening its first German office in Dusseldorf.
Helge Haarig, who has led Scala’s operations in the Germanic and Benelux regions for nearly ten years, will head the office’s sales and technical staff serving Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
“The Germanic region is one of our strategic growth markets in 2009 and beyond,” said Oscar Elizaga, Scala’s EMEA VP.
Scala, best known for
For Focus Media, it was a very bad year
Chinese digital out-of-home leader Focus Media Holding was the biggest faller on the NASDAQ-100 index during 2008.
Focus stock, traded under the symbol FMCN, lost 84.5 percent of its value over the year. Overall, the NASDAQ market lost 40.5 percent of its value during the worst year since it opened in 1971.
Altogether, only seven companies on the NASDAQ-100 gained – and this group was dominated by the
Times Square billboard firms turn to wind power
Digital billboards in New York’s Times Square area are going green, with Coca-Cola the latest to convert to wind power.
The Coke sign (pictured) moved from standard electricity supply to the supposedly more eco-friendly method of generation on New Year’s Eve. The company used the occasion to debut a campaign promoting its recycling of aluminium cans and plastic bottles.
Converting the Daktronics-built sign to wind power is said
Wal-Mart quits in-store measurement project
Wal-Mart in the U.S. is withdrawing from PRISM, the Nielsen-led measurement project for in-store marketing due to launch this year, despite participating in its test phase.
The decision, consistent with a general reluctance on the part of Wal-Mart to share its data with outside organisations which it surprisingly relaxed to take part in the PRISM trials, leaves the PRISM consortium without one of its highest-profile members.
Well-known retailers
$1.2bn Sina-Focus deal will create new OOH titan
Chinese Web firm Sina Corporation will next year at a stroke become one of the world’s biggest players in digital out-of-home advertising when it acquires most of the business of Focus Media Holding in a $1.2bn deal.
The two firms have signed a definitive agreement – subject only to closing conditions and regulatory approval, and not requiring a shareholder vote – which will see Sina, operator of services including
Breaking news: Sina.com to acquire Focus Media?
Chinese Internet firm Sina Corporation could be poised to buy Focus Media's digital out-of-home business for up to $1.3bn, according to reports emerging from China today.
The move would be the biggest-ever transaction in the digital-signage business and mark the entry of Sina, which operates the market-leading Sina.com Web portal, into the out-of-home sector.
Focus is the largest digital out-of-home operator in China, with screens and poster frames
Polish TV firm to get 300-location POS network
Poland’s KCSP has built a 188-site digital-signage network for digital TV broadcaster Canal+ Cyfrowy, promoting its services at the point of sale.
And KCSP’s narrowcasting division plans to roll the network out to a further 112 locations.
To date, the centrally-managed network comprises about 300 37- and 42-inch LCD displays, each divided into a central video area, a banner zone and a scrolling text bar. Some content is
Wireless Ronin names new CEO, axes 30 staff
Troubled U.S. digital-signage software provider Wireless Ronin has appointed a new president and CEO after three months under interim leadership – and laid off a further 30 staff.
James C. Granger, who takes over from Stephen Birke, was previously president of Toptech Systems, a supplier of inventory-management systems. He also led two publicly-traded firms as president and CEO of Norstan, which makes switches for electromechanical applications, and of Digital
Life Channel plans 3000 more sites next year
Britain’s CAN Media Group, operator of The Life Channel, says it is bucking the recession with sales of about £9.5m ($14.5m) during 2008, and looking to nearly double its network next year.
Los Angeles bans billboards for now, ponders future
Los Angeles City Council has imposed a three-month moratorium on erection of new billboards while it formulates new regulations – or considers an outright ban.
The unanimous decision comes after years of disputes between the council and outdoor media owners, capped by recent vociferous protests from pressure groups angry at the apparently uncontrolled spread of billboards – especially the digital variety – across the city. Los Angeles is facing
Canwest to market ShopLocal in Canada
Newspaper giant Canwest Global Communications is to become the exclusive Canadian supplier of services from ShopLocal, a U.S. firm which converts print advertising to digital format and distributes it through media including Internet, mobile phones and in-store devices.
ShopLocal already works with advertisers that have a significant Canadian presence, including Canadian Tire, Sears and Toys R Us.
Canwest, active in the digital out-of-home field through its majority-owned Australian
