Johannesburg 14 February 2013 – Following on from the extremely successful implementation of airport.tvTM, leading Out of Home agency Provantage has announced the launch of Transit Television. The groundbreaking platform comes at a time when advertisers worldwide are adopting digital media networks as an innovative method of growing their reach and frequency in the ever fragmenting media landscape.
Transit.TV offers advertisers the opportunity to communicate to viewers in a captive environment where there is a high dwell time with a very low-tune out factor. It is this ability that is driving the growth of digital networks, both internationally and in South Africa. According to international research*, the global digital media industry is reflecting a 19.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). This growth has resulted in digital networks internationally being recognised as the new mass media, particularly in the transit environments.
Transit.TV is a new, fully-fledged, live digital television network encompassing over 1 100 state-of-the-art high definition digital screens, offering a monthly average audience of 6.9 million viewers. These screens have a footprint across major inter-modal transport nodes nationally and will be further complemented by a national rollout of 600 in-taxi screens. Inter-modal transport nodes, such as Park Station, are where multiple forms of transport come together. In the case of Park Station, the taxis, trains, long distance buses, Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport System and Gautrain, all meet at this major inter-modal node.
The broadcast network will be managed and controlled from the state-of-the-art studio based at the Provantage Head Office in Randburg and will operate from 05h00 – 21h00 every day of the week, the prime times of commuter travel. Commercials will be updated daily while fresh news content will be updated hourly. One of the key value offerings to brands and commuters is the ability of the platform to provide regional splits for area specific programming and advertising.
“We are extremely proud to be bringing this innovative media platform to the millions of South African commuters nationwide. In the world of ‘always on connectivity’, digital platforms are becoming an increasingly key aspect of Out of Home marketing in delivering messages and content to commuters, and the public in general. Transit.TV, through its engaging content, will communicate to commuters in a manner not previously seen in South Africa. This is extremely valuable and beneficial to advertisers,” says Jacques Du Preez, managing director of Provantage.
From left: Directors of Provantage, Jacques du Preez, Vaughan Berry and Skhumbuzo Nkosi
To ensure control and uptime of screens, Provantage has developed diagnostic software that will provide status reports for each screen and venue. In addition, an android mobile app MPM (Mobile Player Manager) will enable Provantage technicians full time access and visibility to the entire network.
In today’s very competitive media landscape, media practitioners and advertisers require accurate and independent research to measure the efficacy of Out of Home mediums. Provantage has therefore partnered with Millward Brown to launch TransitTrack, a new research brand to conduct quarterly surveys that provide efficacy data for advertisers on Transit.TV as well as key insights and facts on this key commuter base.
The network will comprise 50% content and 50% advertising; 50% of the content will feature video (relevant music videos and other lifestyle and entertainment audio visual) and 50% RSS information feeds (news, weather, sports and lifestyle segments).
All news items will be delivered to commuters from the RSS feed, while all other content will be in video format. Gold, Platinum and Diamond packages are available for advertising opportunities which include 10”- 45” commercials, infomercials of up to two minutes, content sponsorship and custom-made features.
By choosing to use Transit.TV as the preferred media platform to deliver messaging, brands will engage with a captive audience that is economically active, the bulk of which makes purchasing decisions. Furthermore, the relatively low production cost (as advertisers can use existing television ads), effective targeting and high reach of the platform provide unrivalled advertising opportunities.
“Transit.TV offers state-of-the-art technology, unsurpassed controls and research and by matching the right message to the right dwell time (which is the key to success), Provantage now provides advertisers with the ability to achieve this. Combining a very high reach with specific target marketing, the platform will provide a very effective ROI for advertisers,” concludes Du Preez.
*Global Digital Out of Home – Media Forecast 2012-2016 by PQ Media
More on Transit.TV
Transit.TV will broadcast to commuters in train stations on the concourse, in departure areas, food courts and on platforms. Within the Rank and Taxi environments Transit.TV will broadcast at taxi rank lanes and inside quantum taxis. The Transit.TV channel is designed to optimise the dwell time in these key viewing areas. Commuter transit areas are ideal for advertising to the LSM 4-8 consumer; with 83% of taxi commuters and 76% of rail commuters making household purchasing decisions. What’s more, commuters spend an average of 40 minutes on the platform and 68 minutes on the train, while taxi users spend 20 minutes queuing and 29 minutes in the taxi. Transit.TV will reach an estimated audience of 6.9 million viewers a month.
For more info on Transit.TV contact Jean Coetzee on 0861 776 826 or jean@provantage.co.za or go to www.provantage.co.za
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