Is there a market for a giant stadium-sized display on an enormous semi that can pull up to event and offer video and advertising coordinated with the event? Apparently, Big Moving Pictures (BMP) (Las Vegas, NV, www.bigmovingpictures.com) in conjunction with Strongbase USA (Columbus, OH, www.strongbaseusa.com) think so. Take a look at the attached picture and you will see what a MEGASCREEN is.

Art Berman
Insight Media Consultant

The two companies think this large venue, outdoor entertainment/advertising segment is a unique niche that they can serve. We have seen smaller versions of this for years, but these two have clearly "super-sized" the concept.

The MEGASCREEN has an image area that is 39.4-feet wide and 22-feet high in a 16:9 aspect ratio so it can native accept 720p content. Naturally, this display uses LEDs on a 15mm pitch and is reported as the brightest available producing up to 10,000 nits. At this brightness level, the display can be seen under daylight conditions even when viewed from a distance. If you think this sounds like a stadium or rock concept display, you are right.

Weighing 66,000 pounds and hydraulically operated, the MEGASCREEN is trailer-mounted for portability. The typical time required from arriving onsite to displaying video will be under one hour, with set up done by a single technician or truck driver. HD video transmission to the screen will be accomplished by digital microwave or fiber optic cabling systems.

And, these giant MEGASCREENS have been designed to withstand the rigors of the aviation and motorsports environments. This includes the ability to be situated next to runways, on oceanfront piers and even barges in the water, taking punishment from high winds and saltwater bombardment. As a result, the life of the system is projected to be 5-7 years.

Although physically similar to the systems of production trucks and outdoor LED screens seen for years at baseball games, NFL, NASCAR and others, BMP believes their system will be more effective in enabling advertisers to reach their target consumers. Part of the reason BMP thinks that their approach will succeed is that it better addresses the task of keeping the audience informed and engaged at noisy, outdoor events. The company is betting that the winning approach is one that utilizes massive, easily viewable displays that are "total integrated." In this approach the display is integrated into the event with no competing "signal" coming over the sound system or screens that could confuse or distract the audience.

Utilizing the MEGASCREEN approach, BMP hopes to introduce an ad-based revenue model to a much wider range of large spectator events. With this model, programming will be supported and revenue produced by commercials for major brands that will be run during breaks in the action.

With all of this in mind, BMP’s initial business targets include air shows and auto races. By forging alliances with many of the air shows that feature the US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds jet teams, BMP plans to provide attendees with views from inside the cockpit and from the pilot’s point of view. In addition, interviews will offer insights into personalities of the pilots through 90-second "Meet The Team" exclusives.

However, the longer-range business goal of the company is much more ambitious. In sum it is to "build a rolling television network," said BMP President and CEO David Knight, "with everything that a television network normally has - cameras, graphics, performers and supported by national advertisers - but using giant screens to reach large audiences instead of their home TV sets."

Clearly, BMP is thinking BIG.

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