The Simon Live platform - SPG bets on hybrid retail media

By Daniel Foster, ad hoc news Software & Services Desk. Reviewed July 02, 2026, 6:56 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Simon Live from SPG is hard to miss if you walk into King of Prussia Mall on a Saturday afternoon and see a giant digital board pushing a Nike drop above the food court. A marketing manager nearby taps on a tablet, watching impressions tick up in real time as shoppers drift past the screen.

What Simon Live actually is

Simon Live is SPG’s in-mall digital media and content platform that stitches together large-format LED displays, smaller digital posters, and data tools across its shopping centers in the US. The program essentially turns common areas into premium ad inventory sold to national brands and local tenants.

SPG describes Simon Live as a "dynamic media network" that can run video, rich motion graphics, and sponsored content on centrally managed screens inside dozens of properties, from suburban outlets to flagship urban malls. Advertisers book campaigns through Simon’s marketing and partnerships team, which positions the network as an extension of broader omnichannel retail media plans.

US footprint and brand use cases

SPG operates around 230 properties across the US, including regional malls and outlet centers, and Simon Live screens are being rolled out in high-traffic locations like King of Prussia, The Galleria in Houston, and The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. That gives brands a physical reach measured not in clicks but in millions of annual visits.

On a busy weekend, a single large-format Simon Live screen near a main entrance can run 15-second brand spots in rotation, paired with wayfinding content and mall promotions. Tenants like Foot Locker or Sephora can book short bursts during key release hours, while CPG brands and entertainment companies lock in longer campaigns tied to seasonal events.

How SPG sells and measures campaigns

Behind the screens, SPG uses its centralized content management system to schedule creative, track play logs, and generate proof-of-performance reports. The company blends third-party traffic data with internal analytics to estimate impressions, dwell time, and audience segments, all useful for media buyers deciding budget allocations.

Brands generally buy campaigns in packages that might include a mix of large atrium screens, corridor posters, and specialty formats near food courts or escalators. Pricing is not publicly broken down site by site, but agencies describe it as closer to premium out-of-home rates than cheap digital banner inventory, reflecting both location quality and the curated environment.

Simon Live vs. broader retail media

In earnings calls, SPG CEO David Simon has repeatedly talked about monetizing both physical traffic and tenant relationships beyond rent and percentage sales, and Simon Live fits neatly into that strategy. While e-commerce giants focus on search and sponsored listings, SPG leans into in-person discovery, positioning the screens as a bridge between brand storytelling and nearby stores.

For media planners at large brands, Simon Live can sit alongside grocery retail media networks and streaming platforms in the same campaign budget. A launch for a new sneaker might run sponsored search results on a marketplace, in-store displays at a sporting goods chain, and high-impact video on Simon Live screens at high-income malls where the target buyer shops in person.

Tenant benefits and shopper experience

Tenant marketers get more than just eyeballs. SPG’s partnership materials highlight case studies where Simon Live campaigns helped push shoppers from a central screen toward a specific store with limited-time offers. A campaign might flash a QR code, point toward an escalator, and mention a store’s upper-level location, reducing friction for casual visitors.

From the shopper’s perspective, the impact depends on execution. On recent visits, the screens typically mixed mall promotions, brand spots, and service messages in a fairly balanced loop, avoiding the feeling of a pure advertising wall. Colors were bright but not blinding, and the audio levels in most locations stayed low enough that conversations at nearby benches remained comfortable.

Operations, creative standards, and tech stack

SPG maintains creative guidelines for Simon Live placements, requiring high-resolution assets, safe motion speeds, and brand compliance to preserve the premium aesthetic of its centers. The company works with specialized out-of-home and experiential agencies that understand retail environments, a step that keeps content closer to curated signage than generic programmatic ad feeds.

Technically, the network relies on commercial-grade LED and LCD hardware, often from established vendors in the signage space, connected to media players running content playlists managed from a central control center. Remote updates allow SPG to switch messages in minutes, for example flipping a mall-wide campaign from summer sale creative to emergency weather alerts without dispatching staff to every location.

Revenue role inside SPG and stock context

Simon Live sits under SPG’s broader "Other Income" and marketing partnership activities, a category that also includes sponsorships and digital out-of-home programs. The company does not break out Simon Live revenue in detail, but management has framed media and data initiatives as incremental, high-margin streams riding on top of existing property traffic. For US investors, Simon Live is one more lever SPG can pull as foot traffic stabilizes and experiential retail takes center stage again.

SPG stock (NYSE: SPG) is listed in US dollars and has emphasized its mall and outlet portfolio, with Simon Live and related media offerings presented as part of its diversification away from pure rent collection and toward monetizing attention and brand relationships.

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