Huge New Screen in London's Picadilly Circus will Display Ads Based on Nearby Cars and People

A huge new screen installed in London's iconic Picadilly Circus will track cars and people who pass by to display targeted ads, reports TheVerge. 

As first spotted by Wired, the 790 square meter screen can produce 281 trillion different colors from 11 million pixels spaced 8 millimeters apart. It will be the largest display of its type (about the size of four tennis courts) in Europe when it's switched on later this month. Landsec, the company that owns the screen, says it features recognition technology that's influenced by the people and things around it, allowing ads to better target local viewers.

Landsec says hidden cameras will analyze the model, and color of cars that drive by as well as the age, gender, and even the feelings of nearby pedestrians in order to customize ads for the local audience. The technology can be used to program certain ads to play when specific cars drives past, for example, or in response to weather changes, or news and sport reports. The new screen will also provide complimentary Wi-Fi for people in the surrounding area.