Capital Networks Celebrates 25 Years In Business

May 25, 2016 by Dave Haynes

happybday-cnl

Digital signage is still a pretty young industry, so it’s interesting to come across a note that says one of the software companies active in the sector just turned 25.

Capital Networks Limited was started in 1991 in suburban Toronto by Bill Trainor, who still runs the company. The company started as a software and services provider specializing in local news and automated playback systems for cable and broadcast TV, and that’s still a substantial part of the business.

But they found their way into digital signage in the late ’90s. I’m not sure if Elevator News Network, which put screens in office tower elevators, was the company’s first signage client, but I know when I ended up running ops for the company we had dozens and dozens of Capital Networks servers and software licenses. That company, ENN, merged in 2001 with Capitivate.

Capital was marketing the software of partner firm DiGiMATiON, but after 20 years of that, they stopped dating and got married. DiGi founder Jonathan White took on the post-merger roles of Vice President and CTO at Capital Networks.

The company has recently expended into Atlantic Canada, and quite separate from digital signage, has also found its way into running very lucrative home shopping channels on cable networks, the kinds that run canned half-hours on this and that and usually end with But wait, there’s more!!!

Capital has a bunch of great people, notably Mr. Trainor, and CNL has also been a loyal sponsor of Sixteen:Nine.

Happy 25 guys!

 

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