News

NYC MTA's On The Go Travel Station network now rated by Nielsen

Interactive digital signage kiosk network reaches an average daily ridership of more than 1.4 million through a network of more than 140 interactive screens located in 29 stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

April 23, 2015

MTA New York City Transit, the agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that operates New York City's bus and subway system, recently announced that its On The Go Travel Station network has been added to Nielsen's quarterly Place Based Video Report commencing with its Q4 2014 edition.

Nielsen's quarterly report measures audience impressions for video networks in out-of-home locations, offering agencies and networks an easier way to compare place-based advertising audiences to TV, Internet and mobile, the announcement said.

According to the MTA, NYC Transit's On The Go Travel Station network delivers the greatest number of gross-minute-impressions of any single market network included in the report. The network is currently composed of more than 140 digital, interactive screens located in 29 stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, and reaches an average daily ridership of more than 1.4 million.

The On The Go Travel Station is an ad-supported communications tool aimed at providing subway customers with information about their complete trip, from trip planning and service alerts, to bus and train arrivals, and elevator and escalator status. The 47-inch interactive screen, which employs capacitive touch technology, is encased in a stainless steel kiosk located at subway station entrances, in station mezzanines and on station platforms.

"This is our first measured digital media, and we're excited that Nielsen is capturing our customers as part of the larger digital place-based ecosystem," said Paul Fleuranges, vice president for corporate communications at NYC Transit, in the announcement. "Our customers are the consumers that brands are looking to reach. By tapping into the On The Go Travel Station network they can engage with these shoppers or 'transumers' through a measured network while they are out of home, on the way to a movie, school, shopping or work."

The On The Go network is being deployed through a public-private partnership with OutFront Media and Control Group NYC. Each firm has designed a custom user interface for customers to interact with and obtain travel and other information, while still providing adequate screen space and time for advertising.

"Nielsen's Place Based Video Report provides a single point of reference for planners and buyers to quantify audiences of place-based video networks with either national or local distribution" said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president at Nielsen. "We are pleased to add the MTA to our report since having consistent metrics across an ever-increasing diversity of video delivery and experiences enables comparable, measured, decision-making for the marketplace."