Who are they
Capital Radio is the UK’s No.1 Hit Music Station, loved for its energy, personality, and unbeatable playlist. With a network of stations broadcasting across the country, Capital keeps millions of listeners connected to the music they love 24/7.
From chart-topping hits and exclusive interviews with global stars to the latest music news and festival coverage, Capital has become the go-to destination for fans who want more than just music— they want a community and a vibe. Whether through FM and DAB radio, online streaming, or the Global Player app, the station reaches audiences everywhere, putting listeners at the heart of what’s hot right now.But Capital isn’t just about playing bangers. It’s about moments. Big, unforgettable cultural moments that bring fans closer to the artists they love. And nowhere is that more true than at the Capital Summertime Ball.
The Challenge
Every year, Capital turns Wembley Stadium into the home of the UK’s biggest summer party: the Summertime Ball. The line-up is always packed with the biggest names in music—superstars and breakthrough acts alike—all performing to a crowd of 80,000 fans. The energy is electric, the show is spectacular, and the event has become a cultural highlight of the British summer.
While the stadium sells out year after year, the impact doesn’t stop at Wembley’s gates. Millions tune in to live radio coverage, and Capital’s social channels flood with clips, photos, and behind-the-scenes moments. The event is a content powerhouse.
And yet, Capital felt that something was missing. Despite tens of thousands attending in person, hundreds of thousands engaging on social, and millions listening live, they believed even more fans could be reached. There were people across the UK—whether shopping, commuting, or out with friends—who weren’t listening or scrolling at that exact moment. For them, the magic of Wembley was passing them by.
The question was clear: how could Capital take this uniquely live, shared experience and push it beyond traditional channels, in real time, to millions more fans across the country?
The Solution
The answer was to think bigger—literally. If fans couldn’t come to Wembley, and weren’t always tuning in online, we’d take the show to them. We helped Capital extend the Summertime Ball’s reach by streaming the best content directly to over 1,000 digital billboards across the UK.
To make this possible, we deployed Adlive our CMS powered by AWS EC2 and CloudFront. This wasn’t just a publishing tool—it was a streamlined command centre for Capital’s marketing team, built to handle live event content at scale.
The AdLive CMS allowed the team to:
- Access live production content straight from Wembley in real time.
- Scan social feeds to find the best fan-generated content—capturing the excitement from the crowd itself.
- Preview chosen clips and images within a pre-designed billboard template, ensuring they looked perfect.
- Publish with a single click, pushing approved content instantly to digital billboards across cities nationwide.
What made it powerful was the speed. Within seconds of approving content, it was live on high streets, in shopping centres, and at transport hubs across the UK. Fans in Newcastle, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and beyond could suddenly look up and see the Summertime Ball come alive on giant screens—almost in sync with Wembley itself.
The Impact
This solution transformed the Summertime Ball from a concert into a truly national moment. Instead of being limited to Wembley, radio, or social feeds, the show spilled out into everyday life, giving people on the streets a sense of connection to the UK’s biggest summer party—even if they weren’t there.
The results spoke for themselves:
- 80,000 fans in Wembley Stadium.
- 2.1 million+ live radio listeners tuned in across the Capital network during the broadcast.
- 14 million+ social impressions generated across Capital’s platforms over the weekend.
- 20 million+ additional out-of-home impressions delivered via over 1,000 digital billboards nationwide.
- Content speed-to-live under 30 seconds, turning Capital’s marketing team into real-time broadcasters.
- +37% uplift in brand engagement across digital and social channels during the campaign window.
For Capital, the Summertime Ball has always been about creating unforgettable memories. With this innovation, they didn’t just create a concert—they created a nationwide experience, turning the UK itself into one giant extension of the party.
