CNN Interactive and Captivate Network, Inc., a new media company that delivers content and advertising via wireless Internet technology to elevators, have signed an alliance that enables Captivate's
growing network of elevator screens to display select news and information from CNN's website, CNN.com.
Michael DiFranza, president and CEO of Captivate, said Captiave the "thrilled" with the
deal. "Companies are seeking innovative new ways to reach business professionals throughout the day and feel that `elevator time,' the 20 to 30 minutes per week that many professionals spend traveling
in the elevator to and from the office, enables them to gain greater access to this valuable demographic," he said. "By providing quality news and information from sources business professionals trust
such as CNN, Captivate can bridge the gap during this time."
Captivate is deploying a network of high-resolution flat panel silent screens that can be seen in the elevators of Class A office
towers nationwide. According to company officials, almost 80 buildings have the screen installed in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Stamford, Conn.,
and 420 more are under contract across the country. When the network is fully deployed, Captivate will reach 3 million to 4 million people and deliver 66 million impressions daily.
The editors at
Captivate Network's production center format materials supplied by content providers to create each Captivate screen. The company's Intelligent Building Server(TM) pulls the content and advertising
addressed to a particular location, and programming is delivered to the elevators via a wireless network.
Each image is on a Captivate screen for l0 seconds, and information is updated every 20
minutes throughout the day. Captivate has developed patented, proprietary hardware and software, and uses state-of-the-art components and newly available technology to edit and deliver content.