Publicis Groupe and Simon Property Company, the nation's largest owner of shopping malls, plan to turn the shopping mall into a medium like TV, radio, newspapers or the internet, writes the New York Times. Their OnSpot Digital Network will sell commercial time on screens to be placed at or near the entrances, food courts, escalators and corridors of Simon malls across the country.

The network of screens has been tested since fall 2004 at the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island, carrying programs that are sponsored by brands such as Cingular, Coca-Cola, Garnier, Nintendo and Visa - and retailers such as Aeropostale, EB Games, Gap, PacSun and Subway. Coca-Cola has agreed to become regular sponsor of OnSpot. A 30-second commercial to appear on the estimated 2,000 screens in the 50 malls will cost $350,000 a month.

There is growing interest in advertising on out-of-home screens: in stadiums and arenas; the lobbies of movie theaters; public gathering places; elevators in office buildings; and airport terminals and train stations.