In a fast moving world when something happens every minute people are interested in keeping informed about the latest news wherever they are and wherever they go. Smartphones democratised the ”consumption of news on the go” and have increased the appetite for connectivity and easily available information.
Displaying news on larger screens (than those of smartphones) during people’s ”idle time” ( for example while they’re waiting to be served) would increase your venue’s value proposition and constitute a way of unintrusively direct their attention to your screens . More precisely, streaming live news to your venue will help you to:
1) attract your audience attention. Making people look at your screens by displaying the day’s top stories gives you the chance to make them aware about your own. Alternate the news with loops of advertising (special deals, sales) and other information you’d like them to know (opening times, contact procedures and data) transforming the screen into an efficient medium of comunication to and with them.
2) if you’re already interested in digital signage for your venue, news could make up for a quality content for your indoor screens. This information is always welcome, never boring helping you decrease your audience perceived wait time providing them with useful information they are definitely interested in.
Speaking of which, we should mention that live news are a suitable screen content for venues people actually spend some time in (McDonalds resorted to news for its dining areas, doctors’ waiting rooms are another appropriate indoor environment) and not that useful in ”zero- dwell time” ones (c-stores, supermarkets, hallways etc). As Stephen Randall, Locamoda’s CEO, puts it in his latest post about the mesmerizing QR codes ”before falling in love with anything requiring interactivity and a screen, make sure you have enough time to succeed!”
News for business could be a viable alternative of boosting the image and friendliness of any venue with a more or less diverse audience. For example, SkyNews (UK’s first 24 hours news broadcaster) is offering a large range of news that ”suit any taste”, in other words respond to various interests. Sport news about the latest actions and results, weather news for the whole of the UK and of course, breaking news play a major role in making your screen and consequently your message unmissable. It’s an easy solution for small and medium enterprises with a limited budget and resources at hand but willing to entertain and inform their employees, clients, visitors, patients etc.
You might want to read a quick fact sheet on UK’s copyright rules before putting this idea into practice as specific conditions apply for public broadcast.