National CineMedia has clinched a deal with ATM.TV to air content on high-definition screens atop cash machines at 8,500 7-Eleven stores nationwide as the movie theater advertising network continues to expand in digital out of home locations.
CEO Tom Lesinski teased the ad sales partnership on an earnings call last week. It’s the fourth deal by its new digital-out-of-home-group, which was created to further unite brands with audiences beyond theaters in complementary venues. The out of home inventory will include NCM’s Noovi entertainment content and trivia programming.
“Movie fans are movie fans, whether they’re out shopping or in a theater, and this relationship with ATM.TV allows us to help brands reach and engage with people at a critical moment when they’re in an active shopping mode,” said National CineMedia’s Steve Sapp, Senior VP, Digital Out-of-Home Sales. “Like movie theaters, 7-Eleven stores are anchors in their neighborhoods – attracting a large, diverse, and valuable group of consumers on a daily basis. ATM.TV’s network ubiquity and ability to target by daypart in a large screen format gives advertisers a lot of options for effective campaign targeting.”
ATM.TV CEO Daniel Aharonoff called convenience stores “essential businesses at the heart of the local community, especially at this time when many people are turning to them for quick shopping trips to avoid crowded supermarkets and big-box stores during the pandemic.”
The Noovie pre-show is presented in 53 national and regional theater circuits including AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Regal. However, theater closures for much of last year hit National CineMedia hard. Revenue fell 90% in the fourth quarter.
The company had started pushing beyond the big screen before Covid, hiring sales and marketing executive Sapp in December. Since then, it’s inked deals with Coinstar to advertise on a new digital platform atop grocery store kiosks; Captivate, in elevators; and Ziosk, on tables at restaurants including Olive Garden, Yard House, Outback, Red Robin and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. Lesinksi said he expects the out of home division to produce “meaningful” revenue in 2022.