China's musicals and broadway industry could soon boom fully as long as local shows are continually developed. (Photo : New York Times)
Times Square's digital billboard dubbed as the biggest and most expensive in New York City is set to light up the entire block running from 45th Street to 46th Street on Broadway Tuesday.
Standing in front of the Marriot Marquis hotel, the giant high-definition LED screen will initially present advertisements from Google beginning Nov. 24. The technology giant serves as the billboard's debut advertiser until 2015.
Eight stories tall, the 24-million-pixel display nearly runs the length of a football field at 330 feet and is reported to cost over $2.5 million for four-weeks-worth of advertising, making it one of the most expensive outdoor advertising spots in the United States.
Upon its initial lighting on Tuesday evening, the massive digital screen will be presenting a digital art exhibition from the critically acclaimed Universal Everything studio.
Harry Coghlan, president of Clear Channel Outdoor New York, the company which is marketing the ad space, emphasized the importance of size when it comes to advertising in Times Square.
"Sometimes it just comes down to wanting to stand out, and it comes down to ego," he declared.
Coghlan further explained that his company received "tremendous pre-sale interest" on the gigantic digital billboard which is sold out to Google until 2015.
"Times Square now has North America's biggest and most awe-inspiring digital screen, enabling Clear Channel's marketing partners to stand out in an incredibly significant way," he added.
Aside from its size, the megascreen is also located at the "bow tie" of Times Square where 7th Avenue intersects with Broadway and over 300,000 pedestrians pass every day.
According to reports, eight out of 10 people consider the billboards in Times Square to add significant appeal to the tourist destination.
Times Square Alliance President Tim Topkins even compared the scene to the Grand Canyon, where people come to see the "most visually stunning natural canyon in the world," noting that Times Square is visited by many because they want to experience the spectacular and "most digitally striking canyon in the world."
