NASDAQ MarketSite (or simply MarketSite) is the physical presence of the NASDAQ stock market. Located in Times Square in New York City, it occupies the North West corner of the bottom of the Condé Nast Building, located at 4 Times Square. The exterior wall of the seven story cylindrical tower is an LED electronic video display that provides market quotes, financial news and advertisements. It was built in 1999 and made its debut on January 1st, 2000.[1]
The ground floor of the glass-walled MarketSite contains a television studio. A wall of rear-projection monitors 44 feet (17 m) long by 14 feet (4 m) high display market conditions in real-time, providing reporters from MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News Channel, Bloomberg Television, BBC, and other financial television networks a backdrop to present their reports. BusinessWeek's weekly syndicated newsmagazine also comes from the MarketSite.
The technologies and processes used in the original Nasdaq MarketSite are protected under United States Patent 7,082,398 issued July 25, 2006. Inventors were: Thomas Apple (Arlington, Virginia), Paul Noble (Short Hills, New Jersey), John Footen (Mount Arlington, New Jersey); Gary Baren (Warren, New Jersey); and Andrew Klein (Brookline, Massachusetts). The initial installation of the MarketSite was in the former Whitehall street location of Nasdaq. The current Times Square system and process have been upgraded and changed several times but remain protected by the broad claims and novel uses outlined in the original patent.
The current MarketSite facility utilizes a complex system of videowall processors and data feeds to provide broadcasters with a dynamic real-time data background. This system shares nothing with the original Whitehall street iteration of the MarketSite, having been upgraded and redesigned several times due to advances in technology.