Metro Red Line subway passengers are now seeing 15-second LED tunnel ads designed to generate more revenue for the transit agency as well as advertisers.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority debuted the new electronic ads earlier this week with a flickering advertisement for the movie "Speed Racer." The video floats outside the train's window in a dark tunnel.
The videos are actually 360 LED lights hung over a quarter-mile span of the tunnel. When trains go past the lights, the human eye perceives movement.
The LED display can be rotated among 18 different ads at a cost of $55,000 a month. The MTA makes a flat fee of $240,000 from the video ads.
