DIGITAL | NEWS 15 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 266 - August | September 2026 Giant curved LED wall to be installed in Leicester Square Ocean Outdoor has been appointed by London real estate company, Soho Estates, to manage its digital out-of-home (DOOH) assets in London’s Leicester Square, following a competitive tender. Under the terms of the longterm contract, a new curved LED wall measuring 166sq m will be installed this summer, which will be flanked by two existing portrait LED screens. The new DOOH landmark, measuring 240sq m in total, is part of long-term plans for the evolution and regeneration of Leicester Square, the traditional centre of London’s entertainment district. The LED wall will overlook the main pedestrian walkway leading into Leicester Square from the tube station entrance on Charing Cross Road. The screen will sit behind bespoke curved glazing, forming part of the building’s new facade. As part of Ocean’s contract, full motion and ‘3D DeepScreen’ content will be showcased on the wide-format screen to mark special events including film premieres, and cultural, community, and charity occasions. 3D DeepScreen, which Ocean spearheaded for the UK and Europe market, allows for highimpact, ‘naked-eye 3D’ OOH advertising that makes objects appear to break out of flat screens. Dubbed ‘The Curve’, the new DOOH feature is one of just two commercial advertising opportunities in Leicester Square, the other owned by Vue Cinema. Both are now managed by Ocean, forming part of its West End DOOH portfolio which includes Landsec’s Piccadilly Lights display and a wide-format screen in Carnaby Street. Nick Lawson, head of investment and development at Soho Estates, says: “Leicester Square has been the heart of London’s entertainment district for more than a century. “This investment will ensure it remains at the forefront of global media and cultural events, while providing a significant community benefit as a valuable platform for charities, artists, and local community organisations.” Chief executive officer of Ocean Outdoor UK, Nick Shaw, adds: “Our new partnership with Soho Estates is a superb addition to our West End DOOH portfolio. Leicester Square gives brands access to a lucrative vibrant global audience in a world famous cultural and visitor attraction, just a few minutes from Mayfair, Carnaby Street, and Soho, some the city’s premium retail districts.” The Manchester Screen expands with new outdoor advertising formats The Manchester Screen, the largest combined banner and digital billboard in the UK, has expanded its creative capabilities in order to reflect the changing landscape of outdoor advertising. The Manchester Screen has significantly evolved its offering over the past 12 months, expanding its physical activation space and developing a broader suite of creative formats that allow advertisers to combine digital content with large-scale physical installations. The Manchester landmark now offers advertisers a comprehensive out-of-home (OOH) advertising canvas that combines a fullmotion digital screen with more than 10,000sq m of activation space, wide-format banner wraps, rooftop activations, bespoke creative structures, and projection capabilities. According to Katie Smith, managing director of The Manchester Screen, the expansion reflects a wider transformation in the outdoor advertising industry, with OOH campaigns increasingly conceived as creative experiences rather than standalone advertising placements. Smith says: “The role of outdoor advertising has changed dramatically. This is reflected in the UK’s OOH revenue reaching a record £1.43bn in 2025, with further growth predicted this year. Significantly, its being driven by digital and by advertisers increasingly combining multiple outdoor formats and campaigns that dominate an entire location, in order to create social content and immersive experiences rather than a single billboard.” Smith believes that, while reach will always matter, today’s brands are looking for campaigns that people actively engage with. She continues: “A large amount of research now shows us that the moments consumers remember and therefore create brand loyalty are the ones where they experience the brand, and where they create an occasion to remember. “We’ve invested in creating a canvas that gives brands a far greater creative freedom. Instead of being confined to one advertising format, they can now transform an entire location to tell a much bigger story. That’s exactly what sits behind our ‘beyond the billboard’ philosophy and our promise to create without limits – giving people the freedom to imagine campaigns that simply wouldn’t have been possible before.” The investment has also been supported by the appointment of Ben Poulter as The Manchester Screen’s business director, who has been tasked with helping to maximise the awareness, understanding, and creative potential of the site. Poulter adds: “The conversations we’re having with agencies today are very different to those we were having just a few years ago. “Creative ambition has increased significantly. Brands are thinking much earlier about how outdoor media fits into wider campaigns, from PR and social media through to experiential activity. They’re asking how they can own a space rather than simply advertise within it.” The new screen is currently being installed in Leicester Square The Manchester Screen has hosted recent brand activations from the likes of Calvin Klein, O2, and Ninja Kitchen By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert
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