Ocean Outdoor

A UK digital out-of-home advertising company that runs large screens including the Piccadilly Lights in London.

About Ocean Outdoor

Ocean Outdoor is a UK out-of-home advertising company that focuses on "digital, super-premium and globally iconic screen locations". It says it created the digital out-of-home category in 2005. Its best-known site is the Piccadilly Lights in Piccadilly Circus, a curved LED display of 783.5 square metres that Ocean has operated since 2016 for landlord Landsec. Its chief executive has called it "the nation's noticeboard", and the owners describe the site as "where the world meets London".

Ocean's website says: "We believe our people, our profits and the longevity of the planet are the measures of our success." It highlights sustainability and equity, diversity and inclusion as core commitments and says it is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion "in all areas of our business". It also invests in technology through Ocean Labs and Ocean Studio, and offers formats such as DeepScreen 3D and augmented reality.

Ocean's products map to UK places. The Loop offers full-motion screens in Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Canary Wharf in London. The Grid covers large-format screens across the UK, and its Global Exclusives include the Piccadilly Lights and the BFI IMAX at Waterloo. It also holds Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City, and award-winning sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Printworks in Manchester. A 2018 announcement listed ten UK cities including Liverpool, Nottingham, Newcastle, Bristol and Leeds. A head office address was not on the pages we read.

The 2018 announcement named Tim Bleakley as chief executive and Tom Goddard as chairman, so check for the current leadership. The website describes its team as "highly experienced" but names no one. It says it was an official partner of Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic countdown campaigns. Treat these as company claims.

Roles in a screen business include sales and planning staff who talk to brands and agencies, creative and studio teams who build animated and 3D content, technology and data staff who run the screens, operations teams who keep sites working, and marketing, finance and people teams. Students who like design, technology, advertising or live city spaces can see how each fits into one business. The same business also works with brands on creative ideas that use 3D and interactive screens, so artists and animators sit alongside salespeople.

What they do

• {'desc': 'A famous curved LED screen in central London.', 'title': 'Piccadilly Lights'}
• {'desc': 'Digital screens in UK city centres and large-format sites.', 'title': 'The Loop and The Grid'}
• {'desc': 'Technology and creative content for screens.', 'title': 'Ocean Labs and Studio'}

Key facts

• Says it created the digital out-of-home category in 2005
• Operates the Piccadilly Lights (783.5 square metres) since 2016
• Digital screens in cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh
• Sites at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City

Website: oceanoutdoor.com