Custom Channels Launches In-Store Open Media Platform at InfoComm 2026, Giving Retailers Full Control of In-Store Media Networks

Custom Channels is expanding its audio branding expertise into the retail media space with the launch of its new In-Store Open Media Platform at InfoComm 2026. The platform gives enterprise retailers direct control over in-store audio networks, allowing them to manage music, advertising, zone control, reporting, and device management through an open, API-driven framework. It integrates with existing CMS, DSP, digital signage, and retail media systems, helping retailers build customized in-store experiences without replacing their current technology investments.

Unlike traditional closed platforms, Custom Channels’ solution is hardware-agnostic and vendor-neutral, enabling retailers, integrators, and technology partners to retain ownership of their data, ad inventory, and revenue models. Designed for scalability, the platform supports deployments ranging from individual stores to global retail networks, providing a flexible way for organizations to extend retail media strategies into physical environments while maintaining full operational control.

Custom Channels, a technology-driven music and audio branding platform built for commercial environments, will introduce its new In-Store Open Media Platform at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C9700, June 17–19, Las Vegas), extending its capabilities into the rapidly growing retail media network (RMN) market and giving enterprise retailers a new way to build and control in-store media at scale.

The Custom Channels In-Store Open Media Platform provides enterprise retailers and their technology partners with direct, programmatic access to in-store audio infrastructure—including music scheduling, zone control, ad insertion, proof-of-play reporting, and device management. By connecting existing CMS, DSP, or digital signage platforms via API, retailers can extend audio across any platform within their environment, using Custom Channels as the underlying engine for licensed content delivery and control. The In-Store Open Media Platform framework also supports integration at both the platform and device level, enabling compatibility with control systems and on-site AV environments where localized management is required.

The In-Store Open Media Platform is designed to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of third-party systems, including digital signage platforms, retail media technologies, and enterprise content management environments. In addition to supporting direct retailer deployments, the platform can also be embedded or white-labeled by technology partners, enabling them to incorporate licensed audio and in-store media capabilities into their own branded solutions.

“At Custom Channels, our focus has always been delivering music without limits—across every platform and for every business we serve,” said Joe Comer, CEO, Custom Channels. “The new platform brings that promise into the retail media space, giving retailers the ability to integrate in-store audio into their existing technology environments without being forced into a single system or vendor.”

For years, in-store audio has been delivered through closed, one-size-fits-all systems designed for a simpler, more centralized world. Those models struggle in today’s environment, where retailers operate across multiple platforms, technology stacks, and customer touchpoints. As a result, organizations are often forced to choose between control, customization, and integration, trade-offs that limit their ability to scale retail media strategies into the physical store.

As retail media networks expand from digital channels into physical store environments, many organizations are finding that existing in-store audio options force a difficult choice: adopt a fully managed, vendor-controlled platform and share revenue, or attempt to integrate multiple point solutions that were never designed to work together. For retailers with established AV infrastructure, digital signage networks, or loyalty platforms, adding programmatic in-store audio has often required starting over—or giving up control.

The Custom Channels In-Store Open Media Platform offers a third path: an open, vendor-neutral infrastructure that allows retailers to build and own their own media networks while integrating seamlessly with the systems they already have in place.

“Retailers don’t want to be locked into a single ecosystem, especially as their media strategies evolve,” said René Arnold, Senior Director of Partnerships, Custom Channels. “With our In-Store Open Media Platform, they can choose their own DSP, their own CMS, and their own measurement partners, while we handle the complexity of delivering licensed audio across their entire environment—from cloud-based systems to on-site control infrastructure.”

Unlike closed, end-to-end platforms that bundle hardware, software, and monetization into a single offering, the Custom Channels In-Store Open Media Platform is designed as a hardware-agnostic, vendor-neutral foundation. Retailers retain full control of their ad inventory, data, and revenue models, while integrators and technology partners can build tailored solutions that align with each customer’s existing infrastructure.

The result is a flexible, scalable approach to in-store media that supports everything from single-location deployments to global retail networks—giving organizations the ability to build audio and media strategies that reflect the unique needs of their business, rather than conforming to a predefined platform.

At InfoComm 2026, Custom Channels will demonstrate the In-Store Open Media Platform for partners at Booth C9700, showing how in-store audio can be integrated into existing technology stacks to create fully customized retail media environments using an open, API-driven architecture.