Fare hike on hold, Delhi Metro eyes more revenue from video ads at stations

Delhi Metro stations are soon going to have giant ‘digital walls’ where advertisements will be on video format minus the audio.

Delhi Metro stations are soon going to have giant ‘digital walls’ to play video advertisements minus the audio. The move is a departure from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) existing format where only backlit panels are used for ads.

Digital walls will allow DMRC to bring in multiple advertisers at the same time and in the same space. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT Photo)

With no fare revision in sight, the cash-strapped DMRC is focusing on these alternatives to increase its revenue. “Apart from keeping commuters engaged during the journey, the move will also help the metro to generate more revenue. In the current panel format, an ad space gets occupied by a single advertiser for months. Digital walls will give us the chance to bring in multiple advertisers at the same time and in the same space,” a metro official said.

Moreover, it is also a lot easier to manage. “Once these walls are installed, only a pen drive will be needed to put ads and information. Earlier, putting up an ad took one to two days,” the official said.

Read: No Metro fare hike for at least three more months

Around 10 ad walls of 12x6 feet have been installed at the ITO station. But the size of these walls is going to get bigger at busy stations like Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Central Secretariat and New Delhi. The walls at these hubs will be as big as 16x8 feet.

Similar pattern will also be followed in the upcoming stations under the Phase 3 network. Besides, the new trains on these lines will have LED display panels for advertisements, which too will be in the video format.

In fact, the DMRC is tapping even ticket counters for its digital push. As many as 148 ticketing counters are going to have LED screens to display real-time transaction details and other information.

It will be first implemented on the Violet Line (ITO-Escorts Mujesar) with 32-38 inch LED screens to be installed at every ticket counter. “They will display Metro-related information in both Hindi and English. A passenger’s transaction details will also be shown on the screen,” another metro official said.