A video has gone viral on social media recently, showing a giant billboard display in Shah Alam, Selangor playing a video ad written in Mandarin.
Shared on TikTok, the video sparked controversy as the individual who posted it claims that Shah Alam has now turned into Shanghai due to the Chinese ads freely playing on the billboard.
In the 31-second video, at least 7 different graphics were played on the billboard, including posters of several individuals as part of one continuous ad for a company called NovaStar.
As of the time of writing, the video has garnered over 270,400 views and more than 12,800 likes. In the caption, the TikTok user sarcastically asked the authorities how the video was able to be displayed on a billboard, saying,
“Shah Alam local government, Selangor Government, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka? Have laws or permit regulations for advertisements been amended?”
You can watch the video here:
A quick glimpse at the comments section showed that the video has riled up netizens online, with many leaving unsavoury comments calling out the relevant authorities.
However, as it turned out, this was all just a misunderstanding and a mistake by the billboard’s administrator. The Chinese ads playing on the billboard were actually a stock video by NovaStar, the manufacturer of the giant billboard’s display controller to test whether the screen was functioning correctly.
One commenter pointed this out in the comments section and clarified that the stock video comes with the device and is used for the first setup of the display controller.
Based in Beijing, NovaStar is a global LED display solutions provider and develops LED display control solutions for a variety of market applications, including digital signage such as the billboard in Shah Alam.
Accordingly, the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has released a statement regarding the viral video, clarifying that checks by the council found that the Chinese ads were indeed a stock video used by the billboard’s administrator in a testing session.
However, MBSA said that the administrator didn’t have permission from the council to play the video as per the Advertising By-laws (MBSA) 2007, hence the company has been given a warning to adhere to the bylaws and regulations set by MBSA.
Furthermore, MBSA said that the NovaStar stock videos have since been deleted by the administrator and won’t be screened on the billboard again.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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