Preston firm providing Premier League teams, including Liverpool FC and Burnley FC, with digital screens pushes for expansion

ADI TV wants to bolster its headquarters in Fulwood as part of plans to boost its specialist workforce and attract and retain the best talent.

The firm, which was established in 1991, describes itself as dominating the domestic market in the kind of digital display technology that is now a common sight at sports events - whether to keep fans in touch with the action, or otherwise entertain them or advertise to them.

It provides two thirds of the LED screens found at Premier League grounds, including Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, and recently completed a project that made Burnley’s Turf Moor one of the most digitally advanced football venues in Europe.

In other sporting fields, ADI TV kit has been installed at Silverstone - the legendary track that hosts the British F1 Grand Prix - and Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National.

The company, based on Pittman Court, also supplies screens for outdoor events and shopping areas - and can also create content to be shown on the displays via its in-house production facility.

In a planning application to Preston City Council, ADT TV says it needs additional warehousing, studio and office space and wants to create an AI ‘virtual advertising hub’ for internationally-televised sporting events.

It is also seeking improved facilities for its 150 existing employees - including a restaurant and leisure area, in recognition of what is said in its planning statement to be “the increasing challenge of attracting young, dynamic professionals”.

Amongst the additions city council planners are being asked to approve for the site - located in an area surrounded by other business premises - are a three-story warehouse extension, a separate four-storey building add-on and an extra first-floor car park level, to be accessed from a newly-installed ramp.

The planning statement acknowledges that the height and volume of the extensions “may be viewed as a considerable uplift" to the existing facilities, but claims that the setting back of certain elements from the current building will lessen their visual impact.

It adds: “The business, as it has developed, is a true local success story and has made significant investment in the Fulwood HQ over the past 25 years, including point-to-point broadcast fibre networks, connecting it to multiple sports and leisure venues across the UK and making Preston a central hub for delivering live match-day and event programming to millions of fans each year.

“This enables these venues to share content with the wider world. The proposed investment will enable ADI to continue to grow its business, to meet the increasing demand for its services as the business continues to grow internationally. The expansion plans will also enable the essential space of seeking to constantly innovate to keep the company in the forefront of this market.”

When it was first formed, the company rented offices in St Mary's Street, close to the city centre, before later purchasing the building at Pittman Court and, a decade ago, acquiring an adjoining site to enable a previous expansion.