Intersection (company)

Intersection is a smart cities technology and out-of-home advertising company. It was formed as a result of a merger between Control Group and Titan in June 2015. Intersection is known for its product LinkNYC.

Intersection
Industry
Predecessor
FoundedJune 2015 (2015-06)
HeadquartersNew York, NY, U.S.
Key people
Websitewww.intersection.com

History

Founding and pre merger

In 2001, Control Group was founded as a technology and design consultancy firm by Scott Anderson, Campbell Hyers, and Colin O'Donnell. Around the same time, Titan was founded as an out of home advertising company. In March 2006, Titan acquired media company in England, Maiden Outdoor.[1]

In December 2006, Titan won a $832 million advertising contract for the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY MTA).[2] In May 2009, Titan began to fall behind on its advertising payments to the NY MTA,[3] and in February 2010, after months of negotiation, Titan lost its advertising contract with the NY MTA.[4] In 2010, Control Group partnered with Fashion GPS to create bar code technology for use at New York Fashion Week.[5]

In March 2013, Control Group began installing the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority "On the Go kiosks"[6][7] The kiosks include upcoming arrival information, maps, trip planning, and service announcements.

Merger and investments

On June 23, 2015, a consortium of investors led by Sidewalk Labs acquired and merged Control Group and Titan into a new company named Intersection.[8] This merger brought together the expertise of both companies to work on projects such as the recently won contract for LinkNYC.[9] In November 2017, Intersection raised $150 million in a funding round led by Graham Holdings Company.[10]

This funding round did not include Sidewalk Labs, the lead investor from the prior funding round. In June 2018, Intersection launched a programmatic display advertising platform called Place Exchange intended to be used for digital out of home advertising.[11]

Smart cities products
Main article: LinkNYC

In November 2014, the Link product was announced and, in 2015, was first installed in New York City as LinkNYC.[12] The project aims to turn 7,500 old public pay phones into kiosks delivering a variety of features, including free gigabit Wi-Fi, free voice calls, USB charging, displays for advertising content, and access to city services.[9]

In October 2016, Intersection collaborated with British internet provider BT and advertising agency Primesight to install links in London.[13] In November 2017, Intersection announced plans to install Link kiosks in Philadelphia by the end of 2018.[14] In October 2018, Intersection launched LinkNWK in Newark, New Jersey, its second location in the United States.[15][16] Intersection will install forty five Link kiosks throughout Newark, funded by advertising with partners like United Airlines.

Transit

Intersection continues to operate the NY MTA "On the Go" kiosks produced by its predecessor, Control Group. The kiosks include features such as maps, directions, service advisories, and advertising.[17]

Intersection operates digital displays and kiosks for multiple transit agencies, including:

In May 2018, Intersection and NJ Transit launched IxNTouch interactive displays at several locations.[22] In May 2019, Intersection and LA Metro launched new advert funded IxNTouch information screens along Blue Line stations.[23][24][25]

Shoutable

In May 2019, Intersection published an iOS app called Shoutable that let users post sixty second messages on LinkNYC screens. These messages were similar to e-cards, and allowed users to enter approved names for the message.[26][27][28]

As of October 2019, the Shoutable app is no longer available.[29]

Controversy

In September 2016, Intersection removed web browsing capabilities from the LinkNYC kiosks after reported instances of inappropriate content being accessed via the tablets.[30]

Since the launch of the Link product, privacy concerns have been raised over Wi-Fi tracking and camera usage.[31] In September 2018, source code was accidentally made available on the internet that could be used for location tracking.[32]

References
  1. "Maiden Outdoor to lose name after 80 years to Titan". Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  2. "AD LEGEND WINS $832M NYC CONTRACT". New York Post. 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  3. Neuman, William. "M.T.A. Advertising Revenue Dropping as Market Slips". Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  4. "Titan Loses Contract With N.Y.'s MTA – Adweek". adweek.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  5. Smith, Ray A. "Sequins, Fur and Bar Codes". WSJ. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  6. Aguilar, Mario. "NYC's Touchscreen Subway Maps Are Finally Here, and They're Amazing". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  7. "NYC Subways Deploy A Touch-Screen Network, Complete With Apps". Fast Company. 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  8. "Google is funding a plan to bring free Wi-Fi to NYC". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  9. Woyke, Elizabeth. "The startup behind NYC's plan to replace phone booths with 7,500 connected kiosks". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  10. "Intersection raises $150 million for the global expansion of its free Wi-Fi". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  11. "DailyDOOH » Blog Archive » 'Place Exchange' Launched by @intersection_co". DailyDOOH. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  12. "NYC to blanket the city in free public Wi-Fi with 10,000 stations". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  13. Lunden, Ingrid. "LinkNYC's free WiFi and phone kiosks hit London as LinkUK, in partnership with BT". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  14. @sprtswtr, Kerith Gabriel |. "LinkPHL: Philly to become city of connectivity with planned install of digital wi-fi kiosks". PhiladelphiaWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  15. "Newark Debuts LinkNWK, Joins NYC and London with Connected Kiosks | NJIT News". news.njit.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  16. "NYC kiosks that let you make free calls and charge your phone have landed in N.J." NJ.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  17. Fink, Gregory (2014-02-14). "MTA's Touch-Screen Subway Maps Are Great (Too Bad No One Seems To Be Using Them)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  18. "Titan renews ad deal with Chicago Transit Authority". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  19. "NJ TRANSIT, Intersection launch interactive kiosks at rail stations". Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  20. "SEPTA Deal Brings Digital Signage to Suburban Station". Mass Transit Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  21. "Intersection lands 10-year contract to sell, display ads on L.A. Metro rail system". www.metro-magazine.com. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  22. "NJ TRANSIT, Intersection launch interactive kiosks at rail stations". Metro Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  23. "LA Metro installs ad-funded digital screens to help citizens navigate transit system". Smart Cities World. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  24. "Metro, Intersection plan to technologize Blue Line". Railway Age. 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  25. "Rail News - LA Metro installs interactive information screens on Blue Line. For Railroad Career Professionals". Progressive Railroading. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  26. Rizzo, Cailey (2019-05-10). "You Can Post Messages All Over New York City Screens With This New App". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  27. Jet, Johnny (2019-05-08). "The New Shoutable App Lets You Post Messages on Screens Across NYC". Johnny Jet. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  28. "You Can Post Messages All Over New York City Screens With This New App". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  29. "Shoutable". 2019-10-21. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  30. "People Are Hogging NYC's Free Wi-Fi Kiosks". CityLab. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  31. Rosenbaum, Steven (2017-12-06). "Privacy Battle Brewing: Are LinkNYC Kiosks Surveillance Devices?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  32. Kofman, Ava (2018-09-08). "Are New York's Free LinkNYC Internet Kiosks Tracking Your Movements?". The Intercept. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
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