Bloomberg cracks S'pore hold

SINGAPORE: Unable to convince its distributor to grant it a 24-hour channel, financial news service Bloomberg TV will take its newscast outdoors, using giant digital screens on the side of Singapore office buildings. The channel also expects to begin broadcasting its service on 42-inch plasma screens, mostly at bank buildings and other financial institutions. The move outdoors was prompted after Bloomberg failed to convince its local cable distributor, Singapore Cable Vision (SCV), to grant it a 24-hour channel, which rival operators such as CNBC, CNN and BBC have. Bloomberg Asia-Pacific marketing director James Ross said the outdoor newscast would work because - unlike its competitors -Bloomberg ran text messages at the bottom of the screen for news headlines and market results. This allowed it to drop the audio part of newscasts. Ross said Bloomberg already had giant digital screens in Tokyo and Hong Kong. He expected the initiative would allow Bloomberg to increase its exposure and attract more customers. However, outdoor companies in Singapore were sceptical that Bloomberg would generate a strong response. Peter Kemeny, managing director of Capital City Posters, said outdoor digital screens succeeded in only a few key locations around the world, such as Times Square in New York. He said the medium failed to capture the attention of passers-by in other locations. While the audio element was irritating, he said the medium would have no impact without it. Ashley Stewart, managing director of JC Decaux, said it cost millions for a digital screen, which then had to be replaced about every two years.

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