DIRECTV pasted its search bar next to Hollywood's show billboards after the Emmys

DIRECTV was mid-way through its 'DIRECTV Like You've Never Seen It' brand platform pushing the MyEntertainment Genre Pack, and needed to show — not say — that one search reaches content from HBO, Disney+ and Hulu.

Hijack the show billboards by placing DIRECTV's search bar screen directly beside them, making universal search the shortcut to every hit.

Created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, the takeover paired the search bar with iconic IP from programming partners Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+ — including Andor, Only Murders in the Building, The White Lotus, The Penguin and The Pitt — in digital and OOH placements across Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Downtown, rolling out directly after the Emmys.

No results figures were reported. The placements doubled as a celebration of the evening's big winners and a reminder of where to find the night's most-talked-about shows.

In late October 2025, directly after the Emmys, DIRECTV ran an out-of-home takeover across Los Angeles created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA. The stunt placed the platform's search bar screen next to billboards and placements for the season's most-loved shows — Andor, Only Murders in the Building, The White Lotus, The Penguin and The Pitt — from programming partners Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+.

The point of the juxtaposition was the universal search tool: whatever billboard you were looking at, the search bar beside it implied, DIRECTV could find it. The work reinforced the ease of finding what you want to watch using the tool, with access provided through the MyEntertainment Genre Pack.

The takeover was part of DIRECTV's wider 'DIRECTV Like You've Never Seen It' brand platform and tapped into Emmys hype, serving as both a celebration of the evening's big winners and a reminder to audiences of where to find the most talked-about shows of the night. Placements ran across Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Downtown.

Instead of renting its own billboards, DIRECTV attached its interface to the shows competitors and partners were already advertising.

The search bar — a piece of UI usually confined to screens — became the ad, demonstrated against the exact titles people were hearing about at the Emmys.

Timing the rollout directly after the ceremony let the campaign ride the week's conversation without naming a single winner itself.

Borrow the biggest cultural real estate of the week and attach your interface to it — the product demo writes itself when your tool is the bridge between hype and viewing.

LBB reported the takeover as part of the ongoing 'DIRECTV Like You've Never Seen It' platform; no performance figures were published with the campaign.