Canadian LED board network revived by OOH firm

March 22, 2011 by Dave Haynes

The Outdoor Broadcast Network (aka OBN) went down last summer, a victim of a depressed advertising market and a looming need to refresh a lot of expensive LED board technology.

“After eight years of running a successful digital out of home business,” said the release, “OBN has made the decision to exit the business of owning digital billboards and managing a national network. The company and its investors have decided that significant reinvestment into OBN’s digital network cannot be rationalized in such an uncertain advertising market.”

Now there is word the screens are back online, so to speak, through a different company, called Adapt Media.

The company, on its website, says it is reviving the majority of the boards, owned by former OBN affiliates, in cities across the country.

Adapt says it has signed agreements for 30 boards and will add more. I’m not familiar with the company – which has offices in Toronto and Vancouver – but the website says they do street level OOH posters, larger analog billboards and some innovation work like vehicle wraps.

OBN is still up but has been focusing only on the big media tower it has at the corner of Dundas Square in Toronto, as well as a nearby board for a business school.

OBN founder Peter Irwin (note: old boss from my elevator screen days a decade ago) has an advisory role with the company and notes there is indeed a market opportunity to stitch together the various boards across the country and sell national buys. Representing media properties is a lot easier than owning them.