Cape Town – Hosken Consolidated Investments’ 48 percent-held subsidiary, tbm Communications, aimed to roll out 2 000 digital advertising screens in South Africa, Pierre van der Hoven, the chief executive, said yesterday. The company had struck a contract with Eighteenglobal, the international golf company, to deploy advertising in golf clubs and shops around the world. The company, which Van der Hoven claimed was spearheading a world first in terms of media technology, had created a private DVD-based “television” network by installing plasma screens with the screen controlled centrally and linked via satellite. “We are doing to the media what e-mail did to the Post Office,” he said. Its existing network of sites included Johannesburg International Airport, Lanseria Airport, Vodaworld, East Rand Galleria and the Action cricket venues. Locally the big thrust was to position screens into shopping centers, restaurants and chemists. Satellite controlled hardware was also being installed at 80 local golf clubs. The company would install equipment at golf clubs in the UK, and shops in Australia and the US when Eighteen global launched operations in those countries. Van der Hoven said the intention was to prove tbm’s business strategy over the next few months, before embarking on a “big capital raising exercise”. Van der Hoven ruled out listing the company at this stage because of the volatility of stock market prices and the fact that the company was in “start-up phase”. The rates charged by TBM for multiple flighting every hour on a single screen was R1 000 a month.

Source: MArketing Mix – emediamix – Edward West