Wildstone has secured the rights to seven existing billboards at Sydney Olympic Park and plans to convert all of them to digital displays. The company says it will invest more than A$4 million in the upgrades, including changes to the billboards’ positioning and visibility.

Several structures will move to new viewing positions along major roads and precinct entry points. Wildstone’s contract for the current static portfolio begins Oct. 1, 2026, with Alliance Outdoor Media Group confirmed as the media operator. Wildstone did not give a timetable for completing the digital conversions.

The investment comes as the former Olympic site prepares for substantial residential and commercial growth. The New South Wales government’s Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2050 envisages up to 15,000 homes and 26,000 jobs, while Sydney Metro West, currently due for completion by 2032, is expected to improve connections to the precinct.

“We’re investing with the next 20 to 30 years in mind, building a digital network that can evolve alongside Sydney Olympic Park,” said Mitch Cook, Wildstone’s commercial director for Australia.

An infrastructure-led model

The Sydney deal follows Wildstone’s established approach: it secures advertising locations and funds the physical infrastructure, while a media partner handles ad sales. As reported by invidis, Wildstone is expanding a digital screen network across Motor Fuel Group petrol stations in the UK, with i-media handling media operations. In Germany, invidis reported in 2025 that its partnership with Berlin-based Hygh similarly pairs Wildstone’s infrastructure investment with Hygh’s media sales. 

Wildstone says its global portfolio now exceeds 5,700 out-of-home advertising assets. Its expansion in Australia is part of a wider push to acquire and upgrade outdoor media sites across multiple markets.

The post OoH/DooH: Wildstone To Digitize Seven Billboards At Sydney Olympic Park first appeared on invidis.

The Gulf region and India share more than just a flight time of around three hours. Both are among the world’s fastest-growing markets for digital signage and ProAV. Demand is driven by iconic architecture, extreme climate conditions and ambitious infrastructure developments. In addition, many of the technology and IT professionals shaping the Gulf’s digital transformation have roots in India.

Against this backdrop, the keynote presentation by Nita Odedra, Director Strategy at Blue Rhine Industries, attracted considerable attention at Infocomm India. Under the title “Designing for Emotion at Giga-Scale: Lessons from the Gulf’s Landmark Builds”, she provided insights into the success factors behind some of the region’s most ambitious AV and experience-driven projects.

Architecture as an Experience

According to Odedra, successful AV integration begins long before the selection of displays, loudspeakers or control systems. The key is to involve all relevant stakeholders as early as possible in the planning process. Particularly in large-scale developments, AV is still too often treated as a technical add-on, despite its significant impact on the overall user experience.

“Buildings are not simply collections of spaces,” Odedra emphasized. Every architectural surface serves a purpose and must respond to the needs of the people who work, shop, meet or attend events there.

In her view, governments and developers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have been especially successful in understanding this relationship. Architecture is seen not merely as construction, but as a platform for experiences. As a result, immersive AV technologies are embedded into many landmark developments from the very beginning rather than being added later.

Five Lessons for India

Drawing on the Gulf region’s experience, Odedra identified five recommendations for India and other South Asian markets:

1. Map the User Journey

Every project should begin with a detailed analysis of the user journey. Only when expectations, behaviors and interaction points are fully understood can technology deliver meaningful value.

2. Integrate AV Early

AV systems should be considered during the concept and architectural planning stages. Late-stage integration often results in higher costs and compromises to the overall user experience.

3. Design for Climate Conditions

Heat, dust, humidity and outdoor deployment create unique challenges for hardware and operational concepts. Addressing these factors early improves both reliability and system longevity.

4. Simplicity Beats Complexity

The most sophisticated technical solution is not necessarily the best one. Successful projects prioritize reliability, ease of use and maintainability. Excessive complexity often becomes a risk during operation.

5. Respect Cultural Context

Technology must always reflect local culture and expectations. Content strategies, interaction concepts and spatial design should be tailored to the habits and preferences of local audiences.

Shared Challenges, Shared Opportunities

Many of these lessons are directly applicable to the Indian market. As investments in smart cities, transportation infrastructure, retail destinations and modern workplace environments accelerate, demand for large-format, immersive and weather-resistant AV solutions continues to grow.

Odedra’s message was clear: successful projects are not driven by technology alone. They emerge from the intersection of architecture, user experience, cultural understanding and close collaboration among all project stakeholders. That, perhaps more than anything else, is the most valuable lesson India can take from the landmark projects of the Gulf region.

The post Experiences: Gulf Expertise for India’s Iconic Projects first appeared on invidis.

Context Networks is using Broadsign’s platform to manage content and advertising across its Contextual Promotions Media Network and make eligible inventory available to programmatic buyers through Place Exchange.

The initial focus is gaming is on gaming and Context Networks says advertising and operator content are already running on screens in distributed gaming environments, with its current footprint spanning 14 states and 23 designated market areas.

The arrangement provides Context Networks with a way to onboard more screens and reseller partners while using Broadsign for campaign delivery, reporting and access to programmatic demand. Context Networks contributes its operator relationships, screen integrations and contextual advertising model.

Operators set the rules

Participating operators will retain control over which screens carry advertising, what can appear on them and how paid campaigns run alongside their own promotions and operational content. Those controls are especially relevant on gaming screens, where advertising must fit around security, regulatory and day-to-day operating requirements.

“Broadsign gives us a proven infrastructure to scale our model without losing what makes it valuable: contextual relevance, operator control and measurable monetization,” said Matthew Olden, founder, COO and executive chair of Context Networks.

Context Networks sees applications beyond casino floors, including ATMs, kiosks, digital faucets and hotel concierge apps. The companies say the integration will give advertisers access to screens in these operator-controlled environments through familiar OoH buying workflows, though the companies have not said how many screens will be available to programmatic buyers initially.

The post Programmatic DooH: Context Networks Taps Broadsign To Expand Casino Screen Advertising first appeared on invidis.

Byron Allen will open DPAA’s Global Video Everywhere Summit with a keynote conversation about how brands can use video to connect with audiences. DPAA President and CEO Barry Frey will moderate the discussion at the October 13 event at Pier 60 in New York City.

Allen is the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, whose holdings include The Weather Channel and broadcast television stations. He also became chairman and CEO of BuzzFeed this year after his family office completed a majority stake investment in the company.

The summit’s theme is “Real Connections.” DPAA says its discussions will examine how brands earn attention across digital screens outside the home, including those in airports, retail locations and transit centers. Allen’s opening session will address video as a storytelling format across those environments.

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is also scheduled for a keynote conversation. Other announced participants include executives from Mediahub and Stagwell, along with marketing leaders representing American Eagle Outfitters, Major League Soccer and Expedia. The Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon is scheduled to perform.

“True to this year’s theme of Real Connections is bringing together people who have a deep understanding of how to turn attention, influence, and trust into action,” Frey said.

The post Industry Events: Byron Allen To Open DPAA’s Video Everywhere Summit first appeared on invidis.

The US residential technology market is worth an estimated US$33.8 billion, according to new research from Cedia.

The association’s 2026 US Professional Smart Home Market Analysis examines the size and composition of the industry, along with technology adoption, business expectations and workforce challenges. The research was conducted with The Farnsworth Group and presented at Cedia Expo 2026.

Home networking represents 15% of the market, making it the largest technology category identified in the findings. Distributed audio accounts for 11%, while lighting and shading also represent 11%.

Companies expect further growth

The outlook among residential technology companies remains broadly positive. Seventy-seven percent of surveyed firms expect their revenue to grow during the next year.

Artificial intelligence is also gaining ground in day-to-day operations. Cedia said 79% of respondents had increased their use of AI for business purposes over the past year. However, finding skilled workers remains the industry’s biggest business challenge.

“The report gives professionals a closer look at the trends shaping the market today and the opportunities ahead,” said Ryan Bardach, Cedia’s director of research.

Cedia members can access the full report for free, while non-members can purchase it for $999.

Cedia represents the global smart home technology industry and is also a 50% owner of Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), together with Avixa.

The post Research/Analysis: Cedia Values US Residential Technology Market at US$33.8 Billion first appeared on invidis.

Sell Now or Wait? The Valuation Reality Facing Digital Signage Entrepreneurs

For many digital signage business owners, the question is becoming increasingly urgent: Is now the right time to sell, or is it worth waiting a few more years? After a decade or two in the business, many founders find themselves at a crossroads. The industry they helped build has changed dramatically. Customer requirements are more demanding, competition is fiercer, and digital signage is no longer a standalone niche. It has become part of broader workplace, retail, smart city, and customer experience solutions offered by a growing range of technology providers. The business models and success factors that worked twenty years ago often struggle to deliver the same results today.

As a result, many entrepreneurs begin to consider handing over their life’s work. The thought process is understandable. Years of hard work, countless customer projects, sleepless nights, and entrepreneurial risk should eventually lead to a reward. The company has been built successfully, employees have been retained through difficult periods, and customers have remained loyal. Surely the time has come to cash in. A quick search online, a few conversations with advisors, and stories of technology companies selling for eye-watering multiples can quickly fuel dreams of an early retirement in a villa somewhere in Southern Europe.

Yet that is often where expectations start diverging from reality.

When Expectations Meet the Market

The typical digital signage integrator sees significant value in its business. There is a proprietary CMS platform, long-standing customer relationships, experienced employees, and perhaps even a company-owned headquarters that has served as the heart of the operation for decades. From the founder’s perspective, these assets represent years of investment and dedication. Naturally, a future buyer should recognize and reward that value.

The challenge is that potential acquirers often look at the business through a very different lens.

Why Buyers See Things Differently

When founders revisit years of financial statements, they see a story of resilience. They remember surviving Covid, expanding into software development, landing marquee customers, and navigating technology transitions. Buyers, however, tend to focus on future earnings rather than past achievements. The loss of major enterprise accounts, the absence of international scale, an outdated software architecture, missing certifications, or a heavy reliance on perpetual license revenues may weigh more heavily in the valuation process than the founder expects.

This is where many sale processes run into disappointment.

The investment memorandum may look impressive. Revenue figures are healthy. The customer list includes recognizable brands. Yet initial valuation discussions sometimes produce numbers that are far below expectations. Instead of the 12x, 15x, or even higher EBITDA multiples that dominate technology headlines, an owner may hear offers closer to four or five times EBITDA. For many founders, this can come as a shock.

The reason is simple: not all revenue is valued equally.

The Founder Dependency Discount

Another factor that often has a significant impact on valuation is founder dependency. Many digital signage businesses have been built around a highly entrepreneurial owner who serves as chief salesperson, strategic decision-maker, industry evangelist, and customer relationship manager all at once. While this model can work exceptionally well during the growth phase, it creates risk for potential acquirers. Buyers want to know that the business can continue to thrive after the founder steps away.

Whether the founder’s strengths lie in technology, software development, customer relationships, or sales is less important than having a capable management team that can operate independently. Companies with strong leadership across operations, finance, sales, and service typically command greater buyer confidence and higher valuations. In contrast, businesses where the founder remains the central hub for customers, employees, and critical decisions are often perceived as harder to scale and more difficult to integrate under new ownership.

Why Predictability Commands a Premium

In M&A transactions, buyers place a premium on predictability. Recurring annual revenue, subscription-based software income, long-term managed service contracts, and strong growth trajectories generally command higher valuations than project-based integration revenue. While the digital signage industry increasingly speaks the language of SaaS and recurring revenue, many companies still derive the majority of their profits from hardware reselling and project implementation. The distinction between recurring and merely repeating business is often more significant than founders realize.

Scale matters as well. A regional integrator with €10 million in revenue operates in a different valuation universe from a software platform generating €10 million in annual recurring revenue. Growth rates matter. Margin quality matters. International reach matters. Most importantly, the investment story matters.

Every acquisition is ultimately a bet on the future, not a reward for the past.

Good Companies Still Attract Buyers

Investors want to understand where the business will be in five years. They want evidence that growth can accelerate, that customer retention is strong, and that the company can expand beyond its current footprint. A compelling narrative around AI, data analytics, managed services, workplace technologies, retail media, or platform-based recurring revenues can significantly improve valuation discussions. Without such a story, even profitable businesses may struggle to command premium multiples.

This does not mean that digital signage companies are unattractive acquisition targets. Quite the opposite. Consolidation continues across the industry, and strategic buyers remain interested in acquiring technical expertise, customer relationships, software capabilities, and geographic coverage. However, founders considering a sale should spend less time comparing themselves with software unicorns and more time understanding the criteria that buyers actually use.

The uncomfortable truth is that valuation is rarely determined by what the founder believes the company deserves. It is determined by what the market believes the company can become.

Building Value Before the Exit

For digital signage entrepreneurs contemplating an exit, the real question may not be whether to sell today or wait. The more important question is what can be done over the next three to five years to make the business substantially more valuable. Building recurring revenue streams, modernizing software platforms, strengthening governance, improving data capabilities, and creating a credible growth story often have a far greater impact on enterprise value than another year of steady project revenue.

And that, perhaps, is the biggest lesson of all. In digital signage M&A, companies are not bought for what they were. They are bought for what buyers believe they can become.

The post M&A Insights #1: Valuation Reality Check first appeared on invidis.

Washington State University has unveiled a Daktronics video display and audio system at Gesa Field, home of the Cougars football team. The upgrades debuted over the weekend as part of the stadium’s 2026 season.

The east end zone display measures 42 feet high by 101 feet wide (12.8 by 30.8 meters) and has a 10-millimeter pixel pitch. It can show live video, replays, statistics, game information and sponsor messages.

Daktronics mounted a new point-source audio system above the display. The company said it redesigned the system to improve sound throughout the seating bowl, including areas affected by the athletics building in the west end zone, such as the press box, clubs and suites.

Washington State also received Daktronics’ Show Control system, which brings display control, video processing, data integration and playback together for game-day production. Daktronics Creative Services will provide a custom digital content package for home games and other events.

The university has used Daktronics audio systems at Gesa Field for roughly 20 years.

The post Stadiums: Daktronics Upgrades AV At Washington State’s Gesa Field first appeared on invidis.

TV panel demand is holding up in the second half of 2026 even as smartphone display shipments struggle, according to a September market update from Omdia.

The research firm attributes the strength in LCD TV panels to aggressive purchasing plans by TV brands and original equipment manufacturers. It expects that demand will help panel makers maintain average capacity utilization of about 80% in the second half of the year.

The picture differs across display types. Omdia says OLED is gaining market share in IT products, including notebooks, tablets and desktop monitors, while memory shortages and higher prices are putting pressure on smartphone display shipments.

Strong orders do not necessarily mean firmer panel prices. Omdia says arrangements between panel makers and TV buyers are leading to additional discounts and price reductions ahead of year-end promotions.

The firm expects display industry revenue to decline in 2026 amid memory shortages and weaker consumer electronics demand. Total display area, however, continues to grow, helped by larger LCD televisions and OLED panels for IT devices. That distinction matters for manufacturers: shipping fewer or lower-value panels can still require substantial production capacity when average screen sizes rise.

The update comes from Omdia’s September display newsletter, which also summarizes separate research on automotive, notebook, refurbished-phone and AR displays. Those forecasts concern different markets and are best treated as separate stories.

The post Research/Analysis: Omdia Sees Strong TV Panel Demand Despite Weaker Smartphone Market first appeared on invidis.

Nine programmatic digital out-of-home campaigns run by Arla Foods in Norway during 2025 each recorded increased store visitation, according to a new whitepaper released by Viooh.

The campaigns covered several Arla brands and objectives, from launching Starbucks Tripleshot to promoting Castello cheese during the Christmas shopping period. Across the portfolio, Viooh said the average time from a measured ad exposure to a first store visit was less than two days.

Spotzi and JCDecaux conducted foot traffic attribution studies using virtual boundaries around screens and stores. The researchers used anonymized mobile-location signals to identify devices exposed near a screen and later observed at a target store, generally within about five days. They compared visitation with a pre-campaign baseline.

Results varied considerably by campaign. A March-April Starbucks Tripleshot campaign recorded a 5% store-visit lift and an estimated 145,301 incremental visits; a June-July follow-up recorded a 41% lift. Castello’s Christmas campaign reached a 71% lift, while an April campaign was credited with 438,999 incremental visits.

Apetina recorded a 7% lift and an estimated 229,772 incremental visits in March, followed by a 29% lift in an autumn campaign. Arla Protein’s March campaign recorded a 23% lift and an estimated 297,745 incremental visits.

The figures are attribution estimates, rather than counts of purchases or proof that an individual screen exposure caused a store visit. Seasonal demand and other advertising may also have influenced the results; Arla paired its Apetina campaign with activity on Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

The whitepaper, The Proof is Physical, presents the campaigns as evidence that programmatic DooH can support measurable retail outcomes alongside brand awareness. It is available from VIOOH.

The post DooH: Viooh Study Reports Store-Visit Gains From Arla’s DooH Campaigns first appeared on invidis.

At the Tokyo Game Show 2026, game developer NC used 3D signage not as a standalone attraction, but as an integral part of the visitor journey surrounding the launch of its new urban fantasy role-playing game Astrae Oratio. Samsung’s Spatial Signage transformed the exhibition booth into a physical extension of the game’s digital universe.

Bringing Digital Characters into the Real World

One of the biggest challenges for game publishers and entertainment brands is translating digital characters into physical environments. Posters, LED walls, and traditional digital signage displays can present content, but they rarely create the impression that characters are genuinely present.

This is where professional 3D displays come into play. Glasses-free 3D technology creates a convincing sense of depth, allowing characters to appear as if they exist behind the display or are stepping out of the screen. At the entrance to NC’s booth, life-sized game characters welcomed visitors within an elaborately designed elevator-themed environment.

The value lies less in the technology itself and more in its emotional impact. Visitors encounter characters almost face-to-face, creating a stronger connection with the content. For entertainment brands, 3D signage becomes a tool for extending storytelling beyond the boundaries of the screen and into the physical world.

Turning Queues into Part of the Experience

Even more interesting than the entrance installation was the use of 3D displays throughout the visitor journey. Multiple 32-inch displays were installed in queue zones and along visitor pathways. Rather than treating waiting lines as a necessary inconvenience, NC turned them into part of the fan experience.

This highlights a new use case for 3D signage. Whether at gaming conventions, theme parks, museums, or sporting events, visitors increasingly spend time in transitional and waiting areas. These spaces often offer little value in terms of visitor engagement.

3D displays make it possible to integrate characters, stories, and branded content into these areas without requiring additional space or large-scale immersive installations. Samsung’s Spatial Signage is particularly suited to such environments thanks to its relatively slim depth, allowing integration even where space is limited. Queue areas often double as evacuation routes, making every centimetre count.

A New Tool for Experience Designers

For years, digital signage projects were primarily evaluated based on brightness, resolution, and screen size. Live experiences demand a different set of metrics: attention, interaction, social media reach, and memorability.

This is precisely where glasses-free 3D signage excels. Visitors stop, engage with the content, record videos, and share them across social platforms. For brands and event organizers, this creates additional value through user-generated content that extends far beyond the event venue itself.

In sectors such as gaming, entertainment, sports, and retail, this effect can be more valuable than simple information delivery.

Is a 3D Comeback on the Horizon?

The digital signage industry has experienced several waves of 3D technology over the past two decades. High costs, limited content ecosystems, and the need for specialized glasses often prevented widespread commercial adoption.

Today’s generation of glasses-free 3D displays benefits from very different market conditions. Brands are investing more heavily in experiential marketing, social media amplification, and visitor engagement. At the same time, game engines, real-time rendering technologies, and AI-powered production tools have dramatically simplified the creation of 3D content.

Perhaps the true sweet spot for 3D signage is not just retail, but environments where emotion, attention, and storytelling matter most: live experiences.

• OoH/DooH: Wildstone To Digitize Seven Billboards At Sydney Olympic Park
• Experiences: Gulf Expertise for India’s Iconic Projects
• Programmatic DooH: Context Networks Taps Broadsign To Expand Casino Screen Advertising
• Industry Events: Byron Allen To Open DPAA’s Video Everywhere Summit
• Research/Analysis: Cedia Values US Residential Technology Market at US$33.8 Billion

The post Beyond the Wow Factor: 3D Signage for Live Experiences first appeared on invidis.