Digital dining

Digital dining
McDonald’s tests an in-store branded TV network

By Janet Groeber
November 24, 2009

Courtesy of McDonald's and Harris Corp.

Based on the success of a recent trial program launched earlier in Las Vegas and Norwalk, Calif., McDonald’s is rolling out its own branded, private TV network—The McDonald’s Channel—to 20 additional unnamed sites around the country.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based fast-food giant teamed up with several partners to launch the trial. Developed by Los Angeles-based ChannelPort Communications, The McDonald’s Channel is powered by technology from Harris Corp., a Melbourne, Fla.-based communications and IT company. Harris deployed its Harris Digital Signage solution, as well as its InfoCaster digital signage platform.

ChannelPort worked with McDonald’s to pair Discovery Communications and its rich base of cable TV programming with Harris for software, equipment and services to manage and control the acquisition, preparation, scheduling and display of The McDonald’s Channel at screens located throughout each of the pilot locations. Currently, 18 locations of the planned 20-store pilot program are up and running, with the last two still under construction.

The channel’s family-friendly content includes entertainment, infotainment and advertising, created to enhance the customer experience. There’s retailer-generated content, such as McDonald’s ad campaigns, but also specially produced programming featuring short vignettes from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel, created specifically for McDonald’s. Seattle-based Retail Entertainment Design provided music videos, film and other entertainment content as well.

The new network launch coincided with the glitzy debut of “Viva” McDonald’s on the Vegas Strip last December. Located at 2896 Las Vegas Blvd., across from the Riviera Hotel & Casino, the 8,600-sq.-ft. unit is owned and operated by McDonald’s Operating Co.

Suspended directly above the front entrance of Viva McDonald’s, four 9-ft.-tall-by-8-ft.-wide Daktronics LED video screens are displayed, while two 10-ft.-tall-by-23-ft.-wide LED video displays hang beneath the restaurant’s iconic Golden Arches.

Inside, the two-story, open-ceiling main dining room showcases the “media center,” a suspended media ring studded with 14 flatscreen TVs airing The McDonald’s Channel 24/7.

The new systems, developed and managed by Harris, are designed around file-based workflows merging broadcast television technology and IT infrastructure. Harris IT Services remotely monitors the file-based InfoCaster systems from the Harris Advanced Media Center in Melbourne. Harris also handles program ingest, quality assurance and content scheduling for each display.

Content has evolved since the Vegas and Norwalk stores opened, and work continues on a 2.0 version of content for the channel.

“It is comforting to know that Harris can manage this end-to-end platform, allowing McDonald’s to focus on the day-to-day operation of its restaurants,” says Brad Hunter, West Division marketing officer for McDonald’s.

Combining a dose of high-tech with high-design, Viva McDonald’s has taken the fast-food customer experience to the next digital level.