National CineMedia (NCM) reported second-quarter revenue of (all figures USD) $58.4 million, from $51.8 million a year earlier, supported by higher cinema attendance and growth in its advertising business.

Attendance across NCM’s network reached 137.6 million during the quarter, up from 115.3 million in the comparable period in 2025. National advertising revenue increased to $44.9 million from $41.2 million, while local and regional advertising revenue climbed to $9.5 million from $6.4 million.

NCM posted an operating loss of $12.8 million, compared with $12 million a year earlier. Its net loss narrowed to $9.9 million from $10.7 million. Adjusted OIBDA increased to $2.1 million from $700,000.

The company’s cinema advertising network included 18,925 digital screens at quarter-end, up from 17,832 a year earlier.

The results follow NCM’s agreement to acquire Captivate for $275 million, as reported by invidis, extending the company’s reach beyond cinemas into digital advertising screens in office and residential buildings.

The combined NCM and Captivate platform is expected to encompass more than 48,000 screens across 185 US markets. NCM expects more than $3.5 million in annual run-rate cost savings within the first year after the acquisition closes.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. NCM has paused its quarterly dividend program in connection with the acquisition and is not providing a forward outlook while the transaction is pending.

The post Business: National CineMedia Q2 Revenue Rises 12.7% first appeared on invidis.

The latest invidis Market Map highlights the companies shaping the Spain and Portugal digital signage market, from international systems integrators to specialist software developers and display technology providers.

Leading the market are Trison, Econocom (including Avanzia) and Instronic. The three companies have established themselves among the region’s leading digital signage providers, delivering projects across retail, transportation and corporate environments. Econocom and Trison also lead the invidis EMEA Ranking.

Among the companies to watch, Admira and Alfalite continue to strengthen their positions through innovations in digital signage software and LED display technology, reflecting the depth of Spain and Portugal’s homegrown digital signage industry.

The complete Spain & Portugal Market Map, with all major players of the market, is available in the invidis International Yearbook 2026, providing a comprehensive overview of the region’s digital signage landscape. Furthermore, it features Market Maps of the UK & Ireland, France, Italy, the Benelux countries and the Nordics – alongside detailed rankings for Europe as a whole and the DACH region. Get your online copy of the International Yearbook 2026 here.

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Planar has filed a lawsuit against Neoti over statements concerning the country of origin and Trade Agreements Act (TAA) status of certain Planar display products.

The display manufacturer announced the legal action Aug. 18, alleging that Neoti published a “TAA Compliant LED Video Wall Buyer’s Guide”. The Trade Agreements Act requires US federal agencies to purchase only products made in the US or in designated partner countries for public procurement. The Neoti guide remains online.

Its vendor comparison table lists Planar Systems as “Not Compliant,” describes its manufacturing as “China with ‘Oregon-based assembly’” and advises buyers to “verify current documentation carefully.”

According to Planar, those statements inaccurately represent both its manufacturing operations and its portfolio of products that it says meet TAA requirements.

Planar pointed to its manufacturing operation in Prešov, Slovakia, where the company announced an investment in a production facility in 2018. Slovakia is among the countries designated under U.S. government procurement rules. Planar said the facility includes multiple automated surface-mount device (SMD) production lines and produces a number of its TAA-compliant display products.

The company also said it sources additional TAA-compliant display products from manufacturing partners in Taiwan, another designated country.

Planar noted that it remains committed to transparency and compliance and to supplying government customers with products that meet applicable procurement requirements.

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E Ink has launched a pilot project for color e-paper signage together with JR Central Agency, the advertising agency of the JR Central Group. At Tokyo Station, the partners are installing displays based on E Ink Spectra 6, the manufacturer’s most color-capable e-paper panel.

At the Yaesu South exit, a 31.5-inch AecoPost display from AUO Display Plus and an A2-format ePoster from Sharp are in place. Another AecoPost display sits at the Nihonbashi exit. About 100,000 people pass through this area every day. If the trial is successful, JR Central Agency plans to roll out e-paper signage at additional stations.

A Digital Alternative to Paper Ads

Staffing shortages and the digitization of advertising media are pushing rail operators and their agencies to look for more digital alternatives to traditional paper ads.

Like classic DooH, e-paper signage can be updated remotely with new content — but it draws power only when the image changes.

Trial Runs Through March 2027

“This test shows once again how e-paper can support the next generation of sustainable transit advertising in Japan,” says Naoki Sumita, President of E Ink Japan.

The trial runs through March 2027 and is meant to show how color e-paper signage supports the digital transformation of transit advertising.

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Independent OoH verification provider Veridooh has appointed advertising industry veteran David Bell to its Advisory Council as the company continues to expand internationally.

Bell, a former CEO of Interpublic Group (IPG), will work with Veridooh co-founders and co-CEOs Mo Moubayed and Jeremy Yang on the company’s growth strategy and its push to expand the adoption of independent verification in OoH advertising.

Bell has spent more than four decades in the advertising industry, including leadership roles at Bozell Worldwide, True North Communications and IPG. After IPG, he spent three and a half years as a senior advisor to Google.

He was inducted into the U.S. Advertising Hall of Fame in 2007 and has also served on the board of digital media measurement and verification company DoubleVerify.

“David has built and led more of this industry’s defining companies than almost anyone alive,” Moubayed said. “He was one of the first industry leaders to back independent verification when he worked with DoubleVerify, and that same conviction is exactly what the OoH industry needs now.”

Veridooh currently operates in eight markets and provides independent campaign verification technology for OoH advertisers. The company is positioning independent verification as a way to increase accountability and advertiser confidence as OoH becomes more integrated with digital and programmatic media buying.

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Digital signage software provider Novisign has launched an integration with Toast that connects restaurant POS menu data directly with digital menu boards.

The integration synchronizes menu items, prices, descriptions, categories and product availability with Novisign displays. Changes published through Toast can automatically appear on connected screens, removing the need for restaurant staff to update the same information separately in the digital signage system.

The connection is particularly aimed at restaurants dealing with frequent price changes, limited-time offers, and changing product availability, as well as operators managing menus across multiple locations.

“Restaurant menu data should not stop at the point of sale,” said Gil Matzliah, CEO of Novisign. “By connecting Toast directly with Novisign, we bring that data to customer-facing screens, helping restaurants respond faster to menu changes, reduce repetitive work, and create a more consistent guest experience.”

While Toast supplies the underlying menu data, restaurants can use Novisign to control how that information is presented. Operators can customize layouts, incorporate product images and videos, promote specials and combos, and schedule different content for different times of day. 

The integration supports independent restaurants and cafés as well as quick-service, franchise and multi-location operators. Individual locations can maintain their own menus, pricing and promotions while working within a consistent digital signage format.

The post Digital Signage: Novisign Connects Toast POS Data With Digital Menu Boards first appeared on invidis.

Everyone is familiar with the advantages of e-paper displays by now: they are lightweight, easy to install in flexible configurations, readable even in direct sunlight, and consume remarkably little power.

Since the energy price shock triggered by the invasion of Ukraine, energy-efficient solutions have moved strongly into focus. More recently, the energy crisis sparked by the Iran conflict could open up additional opportunities for e-paper displays.

ProAV Technology in the invidis Yearbook

This article is part of the technology chapter in the invidis Yearbook 2026. The “Bible of the Digital Signage Industry” contains numerous other technology analyses, ranging from LED and e-paper displays to digital signage software. Download the yearbook from our Downloads section.

The major breakthrough in digital signage and digital-out-of-home is still ahead, but technological development continues steadily, and real-world use cases are multiplying – particularly in retail and smart city applications.

While the number of vendors offering finished e-paper displays continues to expand, there’s a clear monopoly in panel fabrication. With a market share of over 90 percent, E Ink is still the industry’s de facto standard. Companies such as PPDS, Dynascan, Sharp, and Samsung all rely on E Ink’s various panel technologies.

Spectra 6 and Marquee

For digital signage applications, the key technology is Spectra 6. This is E Ink’s flagship solution in terms of color capability, delivering more than 60,000 colors and powering most e-paper displays used in signage today. Its main limitation: it’s designed for indoor use.

For outdoor applications, E Ink has added a newer technology to its portfolio over the past year:
Marquee. Compared to Kaleido 3 – E Ink’s primary color outdoor solution – Marquee offers a broader color gamut. Like Spectra 6, it uses colored pigment particles – cyan, magenta, yellow, and white – to construct the full range of visible colors.

With these technologies, E Ink starkly dominates the e-paper display market – and aims to strengthen its position further. The company has announced plans to significantly expand production capacity for large-format panels, including through a joint venture with AUO.

Ongoing developments

One of the most persistent criticisms of color e-paper displays has always been color reproduction. Even with Spectra 6, native support for 60,000 colors can be insufficient for traditional advertising, where vibrancy and precise brand colors matter. The visual “pop” is often missing.

However, progress is being made. Samsung, for example, has developed its own Color Imaging
Algorithm for e-paper displays. According to the company, this algorithm is based on the way the human visual system perceives color – not pixel by pixel, but as blended tones across areas. By optimizing images this way, Samsung claims it can achieve the visual impression of around 2.5 million colors.

Another issue is the slow image refresh, often ac companied by a brief flicker during transitions. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, since e-paper displays are not designed for constant image changes.

Still, improvements are under way here as well. E Ink itself, for instance, has introduced a Ripple upgrade intended to create smoother transitions between images on Spectra 6 panels. There are also early experiments with short-form video on e-paper.

Software integration

Digital signage software providers have also rec ognized the growing importance of e-paper. Many software updates now include compatibility with a wide range of display manufacturers, allowing e-paper screens to be controlled and managed within existing signage ecosystems.

At the same time, new solutions are emerging from another direction. ESL specialists such as Vusiongroup (formerly SES-Imagotag) and Solum are extending their expertise – from managing millions of connected electronic shelf labels – to larger display formats.

Solum, a former Samsung subsidiary, integrated e-paper signage into its store management platform, embedding it within the broader retail ecosystem alongside ESLs, cameras, and sensors.

Rather than treating these technologies as standalone solutions, Solum aims to unify them under a fully digitized point-of-sale concept – including campaign management, retail media, and device administration.

An added benefit: content delivery takes place within systems specifically designed for e-paper, which can enable more efficient data transmis sion.

Price remains the key barrier

These kinds of integrated ecosystems could help position e-paper signage as a long-term replacement for printed POS materials – if one major hurdle can be addressed: cost.

E Ink’s plans to expand production capacity may help ease pricing pressure, but in the long run, more panel manufacturers would need to enter the market to create genuine competition. Until then, smart city projects may lead the way, as public-sector buyers increasingly prioritize energy efficiency – sometimes justifying higher up front investment.

The post E-Paper-Displays: A New Signage Ecosystem first appeared on invidis.

South African brick-and-mortar retail is facing many of the same challenges as retailers around the world. Yet major retail groups continue to invest heavily in physical stores as a key part of their brand strategy. Among them is TFG (The Foschini Group), one of the largest fashion and lifestyle retailers globally, operating close to 5,000 stores worldwide, including around 3,000 across Southern Africa.

The group’s flagship brand is Foschini, often described as South Africa’s answer to Zara. Focused exclusively on women, the retailer combines trend-driven fashion with an expanding beauty offer that has become an increasingly important part of the proposition.

Like Inditex, TFG follows an omnichannel strategy that closely links physical retail and e-commerce. Stores increasingly serve as local fulfilment hubs for online orders, helping to support efficient last-mile delivery. At the same time, flagship locations remain essential for brand building, creating experiences that resonate far beyond their immediate catchment areas.

A Flagship Designed for Experience

At the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Durban, Foschini opened its newest flagship store in early August. Spanning almost 2,000 square metres, the concept combines fashion and beauty in an environment designed around experience rather than purely transactional retail.

Bright colours, open sightlines and a spacious layout create a welcoming atmosphere from the moment customers enter the store. The design consciously moves beyond traditional apparel retail, positioning the store as both a shopping destination and a brand showcase.

LED Technology at the Heart of the Store

From a digital signage perspective, the new flagship ranks among the most impressive fashion store openings of the year. LED technology is omnipresent throughout the space and has been thoughtfully integrated into the overall store design.

The focal point is a striking oval LED installation positioned in the entrance area that immediately captures attention. At the rear of the store, a large-format LED wall dominates the checkout zone, creating a powerful visual anchor.

Along the main customer pathways, several merchandise fixtures feature portrait-format LED displays that bring campaigns and product stories directly into the shopping journey. In the beauty department, suspended displays add further digital touchpoints and visual dynamism.

Digital Signage Integrated into Retail Architecture

What makes the concept particularly noteworthy is the quality of the integration. Rather than appearing as standalone advertising media, the screens are embedded seamlessly into the retail architecture.

Digital signage enhances the store environment without overwhelming it, supporting the overall brand experience through carefully curated visual communication. The result is a retail space where technology becomes part of the design language rather than an add-on.

Fitting Rooms Become Social Spaces

Another highlight reflects one of the strongest trends in contemporary fashion retail: transforming fitting rooms into social spaces.

The generously sized fitting rooms are arranged in a U-shape around a central lounge area featuring comfortable sofas and an oversized mirror. The result is an environment that encourages customers to share opinions, spend more time in-store and turn the fitting process into a social experience.

Beauty and K-Beauty in Focus

The beauty department also puts experience and personal interaction at the centre of the concept. Beauty advisors are highly visible throughout the area, supporting customers with product recommendations and demonstrations.

A particular standout is the extensive range of K-Beauty products, reflecting one of the fastest-growing trends in the global beauty market. The category receives a prominent presentation and underlines Foschini’s ambition to evolve beyond a traditional fashion retailer.

One of the Standout Concepts of 2026

The new Foschini flagship in Durban demonstrates how physical fashion and beauty retail can remain highly relevant in the omnichannel era. Combining strong store design, seamlessly integrated digital signage and customer-centric experience zones, the concept delivers something that online channels alone cannot replicate.

In doing so, Foschini has created one of the most compelling fashion retail destinations of 2026.

• Business: National CineMedia Q2 Revenue Rises 12.7%
• invidis Market Map: Spain & Portugal Digital Signage Market at a Glance
• Business: Planar Sues Neoti Over TAA Compliance Claims
• E-Paper: E Ink Tests Color Displays in Tokyo
• OoH: Veridooh Names David Bell to Advisory Council

The post Foschini: South Africa’s Zara Goes Big first appeared on invidis.

The latest invidis Market Map highlights the companies shaping the UK and Ireland digital signage market, from global systems integrators to specialist software developers and digital experience providers. 

Leading the market are Trison UK (including Pioneer), M-Cube and Pixel Inspiration. Together, the three companies have built strong reputations through major retail, corporate and enterprise deployments, combining project delivery expertise with long-term customer relationships across the region.

Among the companies to watch, Nowsignage and Screencloud continue to strengthen their positions with cloud-native digital signage platforms that are gaining traction across retail, workplace and enterprise environments.

The complete UK & Ireland Market Map, with all major players of the market, is available in the invidis International Yearbook 2026, providing a comprehensive overview of the region’s digital signage landscape. Furthermore, it features Market Maps of Spain/Portugal, France, Italy, the Benelux countries, and the Nordics – alongside details rankings for Europe as a whole and the DACH region. Get your online copy of the International Yearbook here!

The post invidis Market Map: UK & Ireland Digital Signage Market at a Glance first appeared on invidis.

Lamar Advertising has acquired the assets of AdSource Outdoor Advertising, expanding its Louisiana billboard network with more than 230 faces, including 30 digital displays.

The acquisition closed on August 12 and strengthens Lamar’s presence, particularly in southwest Louisiana. AdSource was founded in Lake Charles in 2003 before expanding its outdoor advertising footprint statewide.

The deal was structured as a UPREIT, or Umbrella Partnership Real Estate Investment Trust, transaction. AdSource contributed its assets to Lamar Advertising Limited Partnership, the operating partnership that holds Lamar’s assets, in exchange for common units in the partnership.

The units track the value of Lamar’s Class A common stock and receive equivalent cash distributions. They can also be converted into cash or Lamar Class A shares.

According to Lamar, the structure allows it to issue partnership units to billboard owners on a tax-deferred basis when completing acquisitions, and the company sees the structure as a potential model for additional acquisitions involving billboard owners looking to diversify their holdings while retaining exposure to the outdoor advertising industry.

Lamar operates over 359,000 outdoor advertising displays across the United States and Canada.

The post Acquisitions: Lamar Acquires AdSource Outdoor first appeared on invidis.