Just as consumers are purchasing streaming devices to control their home entertainment, businesses are turning to Internet technology to control screens inside their places of business.

Brand marketers and retail networks are among those using the technology to publish digital content on screens inside their stores in the hopes of engaging and entertaining visitors. It’s part of a technology arena called place-based media that is turning screens outside the home into location-specific media channels.

And it’s proving lucrative for Charlottetown’s ScreenScape Networks, which allows businesses across North America to distribute branded content to TVs inside businesses.

“We’re seeing trends in place-based media and in business that in many ways are similar to what is occurring in the consumer world of home entertainment,” said CEO and founder Mark Hemphill.

“While it was technically possible five or 10 years ago, hardly anyone bothered to hook up a computer to their television at home.

“Now everyone is moving to Internet-based streaming devices like Apple TV and Google Chromecast, and consumers have more freedom in their choice of media content.”

Hemphill said the new devices make the streaming process simpler and more cost-effective.

“And that’s what we’re doing for businesses. We are giving businesses the opportunity to use Internet technology … to connect and control screens. That allows them to control the message inside their own stores and align the programming with their sales and marketing objectives.”

Screenscape Simplifying Digital Signage

Hemphill said that by reducing the cost and complexity of getting started with place-based media, his company has broadened its market. Sales have more than doubled since the advent of the company’s new ScreenScape Connect, launched in late 2014 with partner Dell providing the hardware.

The Connect device resembles a standard flash drive. It plugs into an HDMI port, allowing operators to manage their advertising and content.

Users can upload their own videos and images, and also stream content from sources such as YouTube, CBC and SportStation, a video-on-demand service offered by syndication company SendtoNews.

“Before ScreenScape Connect, it cost several thousand (dollars) to get started with digital signage,” Hemphill said.

“But ScreenScape Connect means businesses can choose a system to create their own programming for less than the cost of a typical monthly cable bill.”

The product has also attracted new partners like CBC and Telus.

ScreenScape’s clients include Costco, Hyundai, Canadian Blood Services and Eileen Fisher.

Hemphill said ScreenScape has hundreds of competitors, but its technology is highly engineered.

“We’ve experienced upticks in various sectors, including retail, financial services, credit unions, universities and libraries,” said Hemphill, who worked for companies like German software giant SAP and business-to-business e-commerce leader Ariba.

In 2003, he returned to his native Prince Edward Island, where he became a professor of media and communications at the University of Prince Edward Island.

In the four years since its inception, ScreenScape has received guidance and angel financing from Gerry Pond, chairman of Saint John’s East Valley Ventures. He has sat on the company’s board since 2012.

New board members include Bernd Petak, principal at Bernd Petak Consulting, and Mark Healy, chief marketing officer at Tennis Canada.

The company recently updated ScreenScape for Groups, aimed at content managers and operators of large-scale digital signage networks. It allows managers to move content around using a drag-and-drop feature.

“We’ve put a lot of work in to make it easier for our customers to get started with place-based media, and that work is now paying dividends,” Hemphill said.

“And it’s a coming of age for this industry. There is more growth and acceptance for businesses to create their own media channels and make the best use of their time with their clients.”