“Unfortunately it became evident that general ad market challenges, failure to fully recover from the pandemic, and subsequent financial hurdles could not be overcome,
Lightbox Prepares to Go Dark
Lightbox Video Network, a digital out-of-home video network with 4,800 screens in shopping environments and city street window fronts across the US is dimming its operations effective 03/05/24.
In an email obtained by OOH Today, a Lightbox executive wrote that it was an incredibly difficult decision, made only after exhausting all viable paths forward. “Unfortunately it became evident that general ad market challenges, failure to fully recover from the pandemic, and subsequent financial hurdles could not be overcome,” the Executive wrote.
Over the past few years the company has been through many changes, including an acquisition by Cattri in 2020. Though the company had a successful rebrand and record revenues in 2019, the pandemic’s forced retail closures and stay-at-home orders put momentum on hold, driving the company to seek investment.
But things were looking up with the 2021 agreement with Comscore, which CEO Greg Glenday said was “the measurement solution clients asked for.” The company also launched a promising AR product in 2021. This product leveraged QR codes to transform screens into immersive augmented reality programs.
Even in December 2022, the company reported a bright future in an interview with OOH Today.
“This future is incredibly exciting for Lightbox. Since 2021, we’ve diversified our assets beyond being the country’s largest video network in malls, to expanding into 2500 grocery stores, to offering show-stopping window front video in major cities. We’re committed to leading the industry in growing beyond just digital OOH — which to many just means digitizing traditional OOH – to creating a new category for video in the real world,” said Heawon Yoo, Lightbox’s Chief Marketing Officer.
Industry professionals mourned the company’s closing on LinkedIn.
“It’s sad to hear the news of Lightbox OOH Video Network, as a business, shutting down,” Jonathan Gudai, CEO of Adomni, wrote on LinkedIn. “Their ad network is substantial and with all of the positive trends toward in-store shopping, it’s unfortunate that they couldn’t make the economics work.”
He continued that he’s rooting for shopping mall landlords and tech providers to find a solution so that Lightbox’s video screens in premium mall environments can continue to deliver programmatic ad campaigns.
Though the present is dark, the team at Lightbox remains hopeful.
“We wholeheartedly believe in the future of OOH and the power of video, and are proud of the talent, dedication and creativity that the Lightbox organization has delivered to our agency and brand clients throughout the past 20+ years,” Lightbox Exec said.
Lightbox could not be reached for direct comment by the time of OOH Today’s posting.
[…] 1. Lightbox Video Network Prepares to Go Dark […]