• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 19, 2010

This week brought another big tie-up in the digital out-of-home arena, with the announcement that Sunoco Inc. has selected Gas Station TV as the exclusive provider of digital video displays showing news, entertainment, and advertising.

The announcement of the partnership follows a two-year test pilot, where GSTV demonstrated the viability of the concept and program with installations at about 100 Sunoco stations in a number of top markets, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Tampa, and Pittsburgh. The companies did not reveal a schedule or extent for any planned expansion of GSTV's digital network, but Sunoco venues include a total 4,700 locations, suggesting up to 4,600 potential additions. Currently, GSTV's network covers more than 100 DMAs, also including Los Angeles and Chicago, reaching over 30 million viewers per month via displays in pumps at 1,000 gas stations.

GSTV has made a number of moves to expand its dirstribution and content offerings. In August 2009 the network struck a deal making NBC Universal the exclusive entertainment content provider, through the latter's cross-platform division, NBC Everywhere. The NBCU content and advertising will appear in four- and-a-half-minute cycles, combining local and national NBCU news, prime time, late night and cable content. As before, content packages will also include sports news from ESPN and local weather reports from AccuWeather. Previously, GSTV used news and entertainment content from CBS.

The deal also made NBC the local sales agent for GSTV, leveraging its local station sales forces.