CBC/Radio-Canada has found an innovative way to get its news content in front of more eyeballs, striking a deal with OOH provider Screenscape for its news feeds.

Charlottetown-based Screenscape is a digital-signage software developer that sells a USB key-sized device to businesses that, once plugged into a TV with an HDMI portal, can turn that screen into digital signage. Businesses upload content from their online account to create a custom playlist to play for customers in a showroom, waiting room or a lobby.

Through the agreement,Screenscape can sell its 3,000 clients a suite of CBC/Radio-Canada digital newsfeeds to go along with that brand-created content, charging them on a per-use basis.

Bob Kerr, national director of CBC/Radio-Canada’s distribution division, says that easy-to-install solution will allow CBC to work with many more clients that it otherwise did not have the ability to serve.

The pubcaster already offers custom content to some clients, like airports, and Kerr says it fields one or two calls per week  from companies inquiring about using its digital signage product. But it lacked the resources and infrastructure to meet the demand, he says. This agreement will allow CBC to make that content available to businesses of all sizes, Kerr says, who don’t require as much customization.

“It is getting hard to keep up with the demand, especially for non-custom applications,” Kerr says. “It is much more affordable and efficient to have that covered by Screenscape, with their all-in-one solutions. All of those requests we get, we are going to forward that to Screenscape.

“It gives [Screenscape] a complete package and it also helps us process and deal with all the requests.”

ScreenScape will offer two tiers of CBC/Radio-Canada programming in both English and French – a standard package with video feeds of sports, news and arts and entertainment or an all-you-can-eat suite with more options, including business, international, and local content.

Screenscape’s clients will be able to to run their own content, including ads and brand messages, alongside the CBC content. Screenscapes clients include  Hyundai Canada, Uni-Select, Halifax Regional Municipality, Libro Credit Union and P&G Salon Professional, with 60% in Canada, 35% in the U.S. and 5% international.

Screenscape CEO Mark Hemphill says that in the coming months he hopes to introduce on-screen closed captioning, as well as text news headlines from CBC.