Video Wall Processing Tech Firm Brompton Gets £5.1m Growth Boost

July 19, 2022 by Dave Haynes

One interesting indicator of the rapid adoption being seen with LED video walls is growth and investments in some of the companies that supply key supporting technology – like video wall processing software and hardware.

The UK firm Brompton Technology – which has specialized technology that manages and optimizes visuals to large format screens – has announced a completed a £5.1m growth capital investment from Connection Capital. The investment, says the company, will enable it to “capitalize on significant growth opportunities ahead. Demand for its products is extremely high with growing markets globally.st technology is used to generate seamless, high-quality images across multiple large LED panels that are used as the stage backdrop for live music acts or at sporting events and are increasingly taking the place of green screens as a virtual backdrop on TV and film sets.”

Started in 2011, Brompton is one of the main players in LED video wall processing. A lot of its business prior to COVID was with huge LED backdrops for live concerts, but when lockdowns hit and tours cancelled, the company was able to pivot to the rapidly emerging demand for virtual production sets (also COVID-influenced) for film and TV.

When live events ceased during Covid-19 lockdowns, Brompton Technology rapidly pivoted its model to also focus on TV and film production and it is now the market leader in virtual production technology globally. Using LED screens to display a backdrop allows for a more immersive acting environment than a traditional green screen, delivers cost savings compared to shooting on location, reduces post-production work and allows production companies to shoot in a Covid-safe and environmentally conscious manner without disruption or need to travel.

A good example of this pioneering ‘virtual’ approach is the Disney+ Star Wars series ‘The Mandalorian’ and more recent spin-offs, which were filmed entirely in a studio despite featuring sweeping desert and other landscapes. Growth in this market is being fuelled by high demand for content from streaming services such as Netflix, Apple, Amazon and Disney+ as they compete for subscribers.

Brompton’s technology is also used on high-end, permanent installations of big footprint video walls, in spaces like corporate.

As part of Connection Capital’s investment a highly experienced Non Executive Chairman, Neil Gaydon, will also join the board. Neil has a track record of successfully developing technology-based companies akin to Brompton. Neil’s executive career includes CEO of Pace plc from 2006-2011, during which time Pace became the world’s largest provider of digital TV technologies to the Pay TV industry and CEO of SMART Technologies from 2012-2017, a Canadian, leading global education company with over 70m teachers and students utilizing its technology. In his Non-Executive career Neil has held a number of Chairman roles for companies backed by Close Brothers Private Equity, Intermediate Capital Group and Endless LLP.