UK high streets set for digital transformation

• Clear Channel UK to revolutionise urban spaces in London and nationwide following the acquisition of Arqiva’s payphone business
• Deal will see telephone boxes on high streets across the country replaced by state-of-the-art kiosks
• Kiosks to include integrated Adshel Live digital 6-sheet screens

Clear Channel UK is developing ambitious plans to transform urban spaces across the UK following the acquisition of Arqiva’s payphone business.

The deal will see Clear Channel launch a major programme of development which will see existing phone boxes removed and replaced with hundreds of state-of-the-art kiosks.

With integrated daylight-visible Adshel Live digital screens and a distinctive modern design, the new kiosks will quickly become a familiar sight on UK high streets and alongside key routes around towns and cities.

The project will start a nationwide roll-out from July 2016 and will see the majority of kiosks installed in central London. All kiosks will be situated in high footfall areas and will be positioned for optimum visibility from both pedestrian and vehicular audiences. The screens will be powered by Play iQ, Clear Channel’s intelligent content and inventory management system – offering advertisers the ability to deliver and optimise real time, contextually relevant content.

Alongside voice and data, the kiosks have the potential to offer a host of other benefits to both advertisers and the public, including Beacons, Wi-Fi, mobile data services and interactive journey planners.

Clear Channel’s CEO Justin Cochrane said. “Clear Channel is transforming both our business and UK Out of Home. We are building a next-generation estate based on a detailed understanding of advertisers, consumers, technology and cities. This acquisition is the kind of bold, innovative move that characterises Clear Channel’s approach in 2016.

Not only will this deal deliver hundreds of world-class sites for advertisers it will provide fantastic services for the public while enhancing the urban environment right at the heart of London and other major cities.”

The deal is part of Clear Channel’s wider digital transformation project that has seen the organisation invest heavily in a state of the art digital portfolio. This investment includes the nationwide expansion of the Adshel Live digital 6-sheet, ongoing investment in the Storm portfolio of super premium digital sites, and the extension of the Wrap network of digital billboards to 15 major UK towns and cities.