• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, September 27, 2016

Magazines, newspapers, TV and now – digital signage. Hearst has unveiled a major new digital out-of-home display at the landmark Hearst Tower, located just south of Columbus Circle at 57^th Street and 8^th Avenue in Manhattan, which will be used to promote the company’s portfolio of media brands, the publishing and broadcasting titan announced this week.

The new multimedia installation, called HearstLive, dominates the street-level exterior of the tower with large LED screens that show a variety of content from Hearst’s network TV and publishing properties, including joint ventures and media outfits that Hearst has invested in.

The eye-catching video wall, created from a custom design by Code and Theory in collaboration with Activate the Space, consists of around 1,348 LED units containing 7 million LEDs. It takes up much of the building’s frontage on the high-traffic streets near Columbus Circle.

The list of brands contributing content to the HearstLive display as it launches this week includes Cosmopolitan, Elle, Car & Driver, ESPN, A+E, Buzzfeed, Complex and Vice, among others. The screens will carry a variety of content, ranging from breaking news to entertainment and information, in formats including slideshows, videos, live streaming and animation.

The company also launched an accompanying Web destination, HearstLive.com, where visitors can find more content about topics featured on the display, including articles, slideshows, and video, all primed for social sharing.

Social media looms large in the installation with its own dedicated corner, BrandCentral@HearstLive, which lets passersby connect with different Hearst brands via social media, showcasing social streams from Hearst media properties on Twitter and Instagram in real time.

According to Hearst, more than 250,000 people pass through the intersection by Hearst Tower every week – many coming and going from the subway station at 59^th Street-Columbus Circle, the seventh busiest transit hub in New York.