CBS to run content on checkout channel network

From this CNN article:

In what appears to be a first, CBS has signed up to become a programming partner with SignStorey Inc., a Fairfield, Connecticut-based company that has video screens installed in 1,300 supermarkets nationwide.

Virginia Cargill, the CEO of SignStorey, said CBS will provide 1-2 minutes of programming for each video loop that appears on the in-store monitors. Each loop consists of about 8 minutes, half of which is advertising.

Other companies will provide the rest of the programming, including Meredith Corp., a media company that owns TV stations and a number of magazines including Better Homes & Gardens.

We've seen the major networks experiment with running content on in-store TV screens before, but the difference this time is that CBS will be running the content across multiple networks operated by SignStorey, which to my knowledge is a first. There have been rumors that the other majors are planning similar trials right now, so we'll have to see where that goes.

For another slant on the article, the tech-savvy folks at Slashdot have some differing opinions on whether this is a good thing or not. Makes for some entertaining, and sometimes even insightful reading.