Giant digital screen installed at Granville Entertainment District intersection | Daily Hive

Giant digital advertising screen installed at Granville Entertainment District intersection

New digital advertising screen installed at the intersection of Granville and Smithe streets in Downtown Vancouver, as seen on Nov. 3, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

In September 2025, the previous makeup of Vancouver City Council approved the installation of a giant digital advertising screen within the core of the Granville Entertainment District in Downtown Vancouver.

In addition to approving this specific advertising screen project, City Council also approved a new citywide policy framework to regulate and expand digital advertising screen opportunities.

Just over a year later, this digital sign is now complete and fully activated — perched atop the rooftop of the building that is home to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant, situated at the northwest corner of the intersection of Smithe Street and Granville Street.

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The sign at 897 Granville St. is strategically positioned to face not only the pedestrian and bus vehicle traffic passing through the entertainment district, but also the heavy vehicle traffic volumes flowing along the arterial Smithe Street route.

This is a curved rectangular LED display, measuring 7.5 ft. (2.44 metres) in height and 29 ft. (8.8 metres) in width, with a total screen area of 517 sq. ft. (48 square metres). The sign is perched 13.5 ft. (4.1 metres) above the rooftop, and it is also backdropped by an illuminated display. As well, the sign has the built-in capability to adjust the brightness and light direction, depending on the time of day.

granville smithe digital advertising screen nov 3 2026

New digital advertising screen installed at the intersection of Granville and Smithe streets in Downtown Vancouver, as seen on Nov. 3, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Under Astral Out-of-Home Bell Media’s agreement with the City of Vancouver, the sign can only display static images. It cannot display moving video/animations or any sort of dynamic image.

This will also generate meaningful long-term revenue for the municipal government. Astral will provide the City with an annual $80,000 payment for the first year, followed by an annual three per cent increase to this baseline amount to account for inflation. By the 10th year, this annual baseline payment will grow to $104,000.

Additionally, the building’s property owner will provide the City with half of their 30 per cent of net revenue paid to them by Astral.

The public benefits extend to what can be shown on the sign. Under the agreement, Astral will dedicate 20 per cent of the screen’s display time for the City’s own uses, such as promoting local arts, culture, events, festivals, businesses, and other public messaging. This ongoing in-kind benefit has a market value of between $150,000 and $200,000 per year under the current advertising rates.

New digital advertising screen installed at the intersection of Granville and Smithe streets in Downtown Vancouver, as seen on Nov. 3, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

In recent years, the City has been encouraging businesses to install lighting to help animate the Granville Entertainment District, as an effort to restore some of the street’s historic vibrancy from its previous high concentration of neon lights — up until bylaws were created in the 1970s to reduce the perceived urban clutter.

But now, the municipal government is encouraging not only modern neon lights, but also contemporary technologies such as LED lighting and digital signs. Under the City’s Granville Street Plan, digital screens are also encouraged, especially near the intersection of Granville and Robson streets.

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