A brand putting up a floating QR code, or a Coca Cola executive uploading a video of someone drinking a Coke, would not. The team is still ironing out its definition of “traditional advertising.” An artist who puts together a creative 15-second video asking people to follow them on Instagram would likely get the green light. “Our view is this is the world’s largest social feed.” “We don’t want companies to buy 15 seconds on that screen,” says Nick Holmstén, cofounder and co-CEO of TSX Entertainment. They also include what you wouldn’t expect: no traditional advertising. The content rules include what you’d expect from a screen that is viewed by no less than 360,000 people a day: no nudity, violence, or offensive content. (For comparison, traditional advertising on one of Times Squares’ big screens starts at $500 for 20 plays of a 15-second ad, or as of recently, $150 for a photo to run for 15 seconds per hour, for 24 hours.) Ī combination of AI and a human reviews all submitted content, and if it meets the content rules, your video will momentarily take over Times Square.

All you have to do is download the TSX app, schedule your video, and pay $40 for your literal 15 seconds of fame. The screen will eventually be used for broadcasting concerts and an array of other programs, but for now, it is all yours to play with. Said screen includes two seamlessly integrated, 25-foot-high LED doors that open to reveal an outdoor stage overlooking Times Square. The PixelStar program officially launched on New Year’s Eve, when people from more than six cities and 111 countries booked a slot to stream their own 15-second videos on one of Times Square’s largest screens.

It will be showing your own personal videos. Wrapped around the rounded corner of TSX Broadway-the 46-story, $2.5 billion tower that wants to revolutionize retail and entertainment in Times Square-the LED screen will not be showing ads. Not another billboard, I hear you say, but this isn’t your average billboard.

There’s a cause for hope on the horizon, though, and it comes in the shape of an 18,000-square-foot billboard.

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