Narrowcasting means sending information to a specific audience instead of the general public, the opposite of broadcasting. In the Netherlands and Belgium the word also names showing content on screens in a shop, office or waiting room, which English-speaking markets call digital signage. Screenbird runs these screens.
What does narrowcasting mean?
Wikipedia defines narrowcasting as the dissemination of information to a specialised audience, rather than to the broader public at large, and calls it the opposite of broadcasting. Merriam-Webster describes it as radio or television transmission aimed at a narrowly defined audience, such as paying subscribers.
The same idea carries over to screens in a place. A Dutch telecom provider defines narrowcasting as showing tailored content to a specific target audience on one or more TV screens in a business. The audience is the people who are in that location, and the content is chosen for them.
Where does the word narrowcasting come from?
The word is built as a counterpart to broadcasting. According to Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster reports 1932 as the first known use of the word. Wikipedia adds that radio pioneer Charles Herrold used the idea in the early 20th century for transmissions meant for a single receiver, and that it was revived for subscription radio programs in the late 1940s.
The term reached a wide audience through J. C. R. Licklider, a computer scientist. In a 1967 report he wrote, "I should like to coin the term narrowcasting", and used it to reject the constraints of a monolithic, mass-appeal broadcast approach. He pictured television aimed at smaller, specialized audiences.
Sources differ on the earliest history, so treat the exact first user of the word as unsettled. The 1932 dictionary date reported by Wikipedia and the 1967 report are the two best-documented points.
What does narrowcasting mean in the Netherlands and Belgium?
In the Netherlands and Belgium, narrowcasting is the everyday word for showing content on screens to a specific audience, such as customers in a shop, patients in a waiting room or staff in a canteen. Screenbird's guide to digital signage says the software, hardware and uses are the same as in digital signage, and that narrowcasting is the regional name.
The Dutch use is a narrow reading of the original word. The audience is defined by place: people who are standing or sitting in front of the screen.
How is narrowcasting different from broadcasting and digital signage?
| Term | Audience | How content reaches people | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting | The general public | One transmission to many receivers | A national TV channel |
| Narrowcasting (original sense) | A specialised audience, such as subscribers | Transmission aimed at a narrowly defined group | A subscription radio program |
| Narrowcasting (Dutch and Belgian use) | People in one location | Screens with content chosen for that place | A menu screen in a cafe or a notice screen in a waiting room |
| Digital signage | People in one location or on one route | Screens managed from a CMS | The same menu screen, under the English-language name |
The difference between narrowcasting and digital signage is mostly a difference in vocabulary. Where the screen network is the topic, the two words describe the same kind of system: screens, players and software that sends content to them. The page on what digital signage is covers the parts in detail.
What is narrowcasting used for?
The same provider lists typical Dutch uses: promoting dishes of the day to guests in hospitality, sharing schedule changes and delays in waiting rooms, showing company videos and weekly targets to staff in offices, and mixing live TV with sports scores in canteens. It also mentions instructional videos, route maps, house rules and daily schedules.
Wikipedia gives a similar picture: hotels, hospitals, museums and offices use narrowcasting to show relevant information to visitors and staff, and point-of-sale advertising is a form of it.
How do you start with narrowcasting?
- Decide who the audience is and where they are. A waiting room, a lobby and a shop window need different messages.
- Choose the screen. A TV or monitor with an HDMI input works for most rooms.
- Choose the player that plays the content. This can be a small stick or box behind the screen, or the smart TV's own browser.
- Choose the software (CMS) that holds the content, playlists and schedules.
- Make a first playlist with a few items, such as opening hours, one promotion and one notice.
- Schedule the content and check the screen from where visitors stand. Update it on a fixed day each week.
Narrowcasting with Screenbird
Screenbird is a CMS for small teams with mixed screens, so one account can run the Fire TV in the lobby and the Samsung TV in the cafe. Screenbird's guide to narrowcasting in the Netherlands and Belgium explains the term from the Screenbird side, and the list of use cases shows typical screens such as menu boards, notice boards and welcome screens.
Every feature is in one plan, from EUR 12 per screen per month billed annually, excluding VAT. Screenbird's dashboard is available in 15 languages.
What is the definition of narrowcasting?
Narrowcasting is the dissemination of information to a specialised audience rather than to the broader public. In the Netherlands and Belgium it also means showing tailored content on screens to the people in a location.
What is the difference between narrowcasting and broadcasting?
Broadcasting sends one transmission to the general public. Narrowcasting aims content at a narrowly defined audience, such as subscribers or the visitors of one location.
Is narrowcasting the same as digital signage?
For screens in a place, yes in practice. Narrowcasting is the term used in the Netherlands and Belgium, and digital signage is the English-language term for the same software, hardware and uses.
Who invented the word narrowcasting?
Sources differ. Wikipedia reports that Merriam-Webster dates the first known use to 1932, and Wikipedia says Charles Herrold used the idea early in the 20th century. J. C. R. Licklider helped popularize the term in a 1967 report.
What do you need for narrowcasting?
You need a screen, a media player, content management software and a network connection. Some smart TVs can play content in their built-in browser, so a separate player is optional in simple setups.
Where is narrowcasting used?
Typical places are restaurants, waiting rooms, offices, canteens, hotels, hospitals and museums. Each uses screens to show information that is relevant to the people there.
Sources: Wikipedia: Narrowcasting · Merriam-Webster: narrowcasting · KPN: Narrowcasting · Screenbird: What is digital signage (includes narrowcasting)