Washington, D.C.'s Metro and its revenue-generating advertising contractor, Outfront Media, announced today the addition of 28 new high-definition digital advertising displays at 14 Metrorail stations in an effort to increase commercial revenue to support Metro's operating budget.

Metro currently generates more than $20 million annually in advertising revenue on buses, trains and in stations. Each digital display is expected to generate at least four times more revenue than the static ads they replace and significantly expand Metro’s digital advertising network, which includes 72-inch interactive touch screen displays at eight stations and a new three-panel digital wall at Navy Yard Station.

The new screens were funded by Outfront at no cost to Metro. Digital ads will rotate in 5, 10 and 15 second intervals, allowing Metro to maximize advertising revenue with multiple advertisements on each screen. The screens will also be used for emergency communications to passengers.

The 65-inch vertical screens have been installed over several weeks, with crews working through the night to remove the old backlit static ad displays and install the new brackets to support the flat panel displays.  Two digital panel displays have been mounted at each of the 14 stations, one panel facing on each side of the platform.

The displays utilize the ON Smart Digital Platform, featuring technology capable of running full-motion digital ads and provide advertisers the ability to remotely choose when to run ads for targeted audiences.

Current advertisers on the digital displays already include: The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Iceland Air.

Metro expects to install 22 more digital displays by the end of 2016.