ADI installs lightweight LED banner screens at UK's Metrocentre mall
2026-09-08 · via AV Magazine
ADI has installed six digital banner screens at Metrocentre in Gateshead using its MT LED series, a panel range the company says is 50% lighter and slimmer than traditional LED displays. The reduced weight and depth mattered because the shopping centre, which opened in 1986, was not built with modern digital infrastructure in mind. Lighter panels meant the screens could go on lightweight mounting structures across both internal and external spaces without the reinforcement work heavier displays would require.
This is a practical problem a lot of operators running screens in older buildings will recognise. Retrofitting large-format LED into a structure designed decades before digital signage existed usually means either expensive structural work or compromising on screen size and placement. ADI is positioning the MT series specifically as a fix for that constraint, which matters for any venue owner weighing digital upgrades against the cost of reinforcing ceilings, walls or existing mall infrastructure.
The six banner screens are part of a broader, decade-long relationship between ADI and Metrocentre that has built out what the release describes as an integrated digital network across the venue, including large-format DOOH displays, architectural LED and digital wayfinding. The banner screens specifically sit along key visitor routes and are described as serving two purposes: carrying the centre's own promotional and brand messaging, and functioning as sellable inventory for media campaigns. That dual use is standard practice in mall DOOH now, letting the same asset cover self-promotion costs while generating ad revenue.
Drew Burrow, head of bespoke and creative sales at ADI, said the product's longevity suits long-term venue developments and called it a more sustainable option that delivers strong image quality while fitting discreetly into existing architecture. Gavin Prior, centre director at Metrocentre, credited the partnership with transforming the centre's DOOH portfolio and said the level of AV now in place disguises the building's age.
What the announcement does not say is any detail on the MT series' resolution, pixel pitch, brightness or actual panel weight and dimensions, so it is not possible to compare it directly against competing thin-and-light LED products from other manufacturers on spec alone. There is also no figure given for the cost of this phase or the total number of digital assets now deployed across the centre. For operators evaluating similar retrofits, the headline takeaway is the structural rationale rather than a technical benchmark: lighter, slimmer LED panels can open up mounting locations in older buildings that heavier displays would rule out.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from AV Magazine for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
By AV Magazine in Digital Signage and DOOH , Retail , UK&I September 8, 2026 0
Structural considerations at the shopping centre in north-east England necessitated the use of the MT LED series, which is 50% lighter and slimmer than traditional displays, for six banner screens.
A 10-year partnership between ADI and Metrocentre has seen the UK’s second-largest shopping centre equipped with an integrated digital infrastructure.
A key element of the Gateshead mall’s evolution since it opened in 1986 has been the integration of digital technology throughout the destination, creating new ways to communicate with visitors, support occupiers and provide additional commercial opportunities.
Through several phases of development, ADI has worked closely with Metrocentre to identify the right technology, locations and content opportunities to create an integrated network of digital assets across the venue.
From large-format DOOH displays and architectural LED installations to digital wayfinding, these platforms have become part of the centre’s identity and day-to-day operation.
Six recently installed digital banner screens, which help integrate digital messaging across key visitor routes, utilised ADI’s proprietary MT LED series.
The integration of digital displays into a venue designed in the 1980s presented unique structural considerations, and the panels were chosen because they are 50% lighter and slimmer than traditional displays.
This allowed the large-format screens to be mounted on to lightweight structures across internal and external spaces.
Drew Burrow, head of bespoke and creative Sales at ADI, said: “The longevity of this product makes it well suited to long-term venue developments.
“The MT series allows us to provide retail destinations with a reliable and more sustainable product that delivers exceptional image quality while fitting discreetly into existing architecture.”
Gavin Prior, centre director at Metrocentre, added: “ADI have worked closely with us to transform Metrocentre’s DOOH portfolio.
“The impactful large-format screens provide a platform for the centre’s self-promotion and brand communications, alongside acting as premium sites for revenue-generating media campaigns.”
“We’re 40 years old, but as you walk through these malls now, with the level of AV that we have and with the changes we’ve got coming through, you’d never guess the age of this centre.
“Partnering with ADI to do it, we’ve seen massive, massive benefits – providing so much energy, theatre and engagement to our consumers.”