• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 14, 2012

Akoo, which operates AkooTV, a digital out-of-home video network delivering entertainment content and advertising, is adding to its capabilities to create original entertainment content through a new partnership with the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, IL.

The deal will give AkooTV a branded venue for live performances which will then be shown on its DOOH network, available in mall food courts and college dining halls.

Under the terms of the $1.5 million, five-year-long deal between Akoo and the Village of Rosemont, the 4,400-seat theatre will be renamed the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont, including all interior and exterior signage and branding. Akoo will also create a VIP Lounge at the theater, which will be co-sponsored by AkooTV advertisers, as a venue for experiential marketing.

Akoo CEO Niko Drakoulis said the deal will allow the Rosemont-based DOOH network to “locally produce exclusive programming for agency and advertising partners, which will extend our brand within the broader entertainment industry.” This includes performances at the nearby Allstate Arena, an 18,500-seat sports and entertainment venue which is also owned by the Village of Rosemont.

This is just the latest in a series of strategic moves by the DOOH company.

In September 2011, Akoo announced plans to open new national sales offices in New York City and Los Angeles. In October 2010, Akoo named William "Billy" Campbell III (former president of Discovery Networks from 2002-2007) as its president.

Akoo operates over 160 "Akoo Pavilions" in mall food courts, which it claims reach 64 million consumers per month -- delivering music and entertainment content, as well as free WiFi, Facebook and Twitter interfaces, mobile coupons and exclusive special offers. Consumers are exposed to content and advertising on Akoo displays at these food court “pavilions” for an average 20 minutes, according to a Nielsen study.