Piccadilly Lights - LandSec's London Landmark Re-lit

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26 October 2017 | Updated 01 January 1970

London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights were switched back to life on October 26 after a nine month period of renovation. A spectacular display of colours, which were sponsored by members of the public as part of a fundraising campaign for Barnardo’s, was the first image to appear on the new screen. 

The Lights have been switched off since January. The original patchwork of screens has been replaced with a single state-of-the-art 4K LED digital screen and live technology hub. It is the largest screen of its kind in Europe and will have the ability to divide into six full and subtle motion segments. Advertisers will be able to stream live videos, lifestyle updates, such as weather and sports results, and real time social media feeds.

The screen will also react to certain external factors, such as the weather or temperature. This feature enables brands to display content such as weather-appropriate clothing. The technology does not collect or store any personal data and is unable to record images or audio.

Coca-Cola, Samsung, Hyundai, L’Oréal Paris, eBay, Hunter and Stella McCartney are now advertising, which is managed by Ocean Outdoor. 

Vasiliki Arvaniti, Portfolio Director at Landsec, said: “The Piccadilly Lights have been one of London’s icons for over a century and are an unmissable sight for the 100 million people who pass through Piccadilly Circus every year. We know people have really missed the screen We want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has been part of the #PiccadillyOn campaign, raising money for Barnardo’s.”

Ocean Outdoor chief executive officer Tim Bleakley said: “Piccadilly Lights is one of the world's most responsive, feature-rich advertising displays. Today is a major milestone in the history of Piccadilly Lights and to mark it we have a superb line-up of iconic global brands across six categories ready to exercise its creativity.”

The countdown and launch moment was streamed live across Facebook and YouTube, and the launch display will be repeated on the screens a number of times until 11.59pm on Friday October 27. It can also be viewed here: www.Facebook.com/PiccadillyOn or www.youtube.com/landsecuritiesgroup.

History of Piccadilly Lights 

An estimated 100million people pass through Piccadilly Circus each year.

The first illuminated advertising hoarding at Piccadilly Circus was a Perrier sign, installed in 1908 .

Piccadilly Circus used to be entirely surrounded by illuminated advertising signs which were originally powered by light bulbs, later replaced by neon lights. 

Digital projectors were first introduced in 1998.

LED displays completely replaced neon by 2011.

Coca-Cola has had a sign at Piccadilly Circus since 1954.

Landsec has owned Piccadilly Lights since the 1970s. 

New screen details

·      17.56m high x 44.62m wide (circ 790sq.m).

·      Greater than 4K Resolution: 5490 x 2160.

·      3 in 1 LED packages that generates trillions of colours and exceptional brightness.

·      8mm pitch screen 

About PiccadillyOn

PiccadillyOn is a charity campaign launched to raise funds for Barnardo’s and mark the switching -on of the Piccadilly Lights. The campaign is run by Landsec. For more information and to be part of the campaign, visit PiccadillyOn.London or follow PiccadillyOn on Facebook or Instagram.

Picture: October26  - the  Piccadilly Lights were turned back on

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 26 October 2017

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