• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 23, 2012

New Yorkers, prepare yourselves for a surge of digital out-of-home video displays in public spaces in the not-too-distant future. This wave of DOOH is coming to New York City courtesy of public agencies and private companies working in tandem.

First up are those signs near the entrances to subway stations. As many readers will probably have noticed, CBS Outdoor has partnered with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to install a network of 100 large, double-sided digital displays at the entrances to subway stations around Manhattan. The “Urban Panel” network, which became fully operational on Feb. 28, is intended to improve New York City Transit’s ability to communicate with passengers about route changes and other important information. Needless to say, the displays also carry paid advertising messages.

Next, the city’s public phones are getting a big makeover courtesy of Pacific Telemanagement Services, which bought most of them from Verizon last year, according to the New York Post. PTS will replace most of the phones with computer kiosks called “My Internet Kiosk Everywhere,” or MIKE, which let users access the Web, e-mail and various apps (for a small fee) via a 22-inch touchscreen. The kiosks also include charging stations for power-hungry mobile devices. PTS tells the Post there will be 100 MIKE stations operating around NYC within a few months.

And that’s not all. As previously reported, the MTA is also creating a network of interactive customer information kiosks, called “On the Go!” Travel Stations, to serve facilities in the NYCT, Metro-North Railroad, and the Long Island Rail Road systems. The kiosks, with digital displays measuring 47 inches on the diagonal, are currently deployed in five locations as part of a pilot program, which the MTA plans to expand to many more subway and railroad passenger stations around the city. The MTA is currently seeking expressions of interest from potential digital out-of-home advertising partners.