Clear Channel UK has announced the return of Adshel Live to London, alongside ambitious plans to transform payphones across the capital and nationwide. This news follows the Out of Home media owner’s acquisition of Arqiva’s payphone division earlier this year.
As of next week, Clear Channel will begin transforming aging phone boxes into brand new phone boxes featuring Wi-Fi, interactive local maps and payphone services, with an Adshel Live digital screen integrated into every unit. The screens have been designed and built by Amscreen at their factory near Bolton, creating vital jobs in the area and supporting manufacturing in the UK.
The stunning new phone boxes re-imagine the iconic London phone box for the 21st Century and pay homage to a design classic – breathing life back into the traditional, and instantly recognisable, British payphone.
As part of their commitment to transforming and enhancing UK high streets, Clear Channel is to plant and care for a tree in the local area for every phone box they upgrade. The new trees will be planted in partnership with international environmental charity, Trees for Cities.
As with the rest of their nationwide Adshel and Adshel Live digital networks which appear at thousands of bus shelters right across the UK, Clear Channel will be responsible for the installation, cleaning and maintenance of the units at no cost to the public. Over the last five years alone, Clear Channel has contributed £170 million to public infrastructure for the UK communities they operate in.
By the end of 2016, Clear Channel will have installed over 100 new phone boxes in London. This will rise to up to 500 boxes in London by the end of 2017 – bringing the number of Adshel Live screens across the country to over 1,500 –further enhancing the UK’s only national roadside digital Out of Home network.
Justin Cochrane, CEO of Clear Channel, said “We’re enormously proud to announce the return of Adshel Live to London, bringing the flexibility and dynamism of the network back to advertisers in the capital.
“Not only does this announcement mean amazing opportunities for advertisers in key retail locations right across the capital, it also means hundreds of beautifully designed, British-built phone boxes offering valuable services such as public Wi-Fi and interactive local area maps.”“Clear Channel can trace our roots in London all the way back to 1936 and we’re committed to this wonderful city. Our new phone boxes will become part of the fabric of the capital and we’re delighted to be working with Trees for Cities to plant a tree for each and every phone box we upgrade. This announcement will see us enhance the urban environment, provide valuable public services and leave a lasting legacy for Londoners.”
Justin Cochrane
Simon Sugar, Amscreen’s CEO commented: “Over the last year we have delivered more than 1200 screens as part of the Adshel Live network and were now very pleased to be able to extend our partnership with Clear Channel with a ground-breaking new product. We’ve worked closely with the team to design and manufacture an entirely new unit that we’re confident will revolutionise the on-street out of home space.”Sugar continued; “This extensive roll-out of these revolutionary new phone box displays plays into Amscreen’s key strengths in terms of delivering a scalable product that ensures ease of deployment, maintenance and leverages the power of real-time insight. We’re also proud to say that this has all been developed and built on home soil so British engineering talent has been key in launching these modernised, iconic displays”
Simon Sugar
David Elliott, CEO at Trees for Cities, said, “Trees are one of the most vital elements of liveable and healthy cities. They help create spaces that promote physical activity, reduce mental illness, and enhance community cohesion and a reconnection with nature. They clean pollutants from the air, prevent flooding, mitigate the urban ‘heat island effect’, shield traffic noise, and provide an essential habitat for the biodiversity that supports our ecosystem services. Tree-lined streets increase property values and promote economic activities in business districts. It is remarkable how much we rely on trees, yet how much we can take them for granted.”Elliott added, “Our cities’ environments and tree stocks face multiple risks and threats, and their futures are integrally tied to the actions of the business sector. The leadership and vision that Clear Channel has demonstrated in supporting and promoting this programme is truly inspirational. They have set a high benchmark and a challenge to other companies to follow that can help secure resilient urban environments for generations to come.”
David Elliott
