Sky Tower Projection: A Permanent Platform for Iconic Moments
Streamliner Productions x SkyCity Entertainment Group
THE PARTNERSHIP
New Zealand's most recognisable structure now has a permanent home for world-class projection. Streamliner Productions has entered into an official partnership with SkyCity Entertainment Group to install a suite of high-powered 30,000 lumen projectors on the rooftop of the Grand Hotel in Auckland's CBD, purpose-built to deliver large-scale projection mapping onto the Sky Tower itself.
At 328 metres tall, the Sky Tower is not just an Auckland landmark — it is one of the most visible and photographically captured structures in the Southern Hemisphere. The ability to map content onto it, reliably and repeatably, creates something genuinely rare: a permanent, large-format canvas in the heart of a major city, available to brands, broadcasters, and cultural organisations who want to make a statement that cannot be missed.
THE SETUP
The projector installation on the Grand Hotel roof was designed from the ground up for permanence and performance. At 30,000 lumens per unit, the projectors have the output necessary to cut through the ambient light of the CBD and land cleanly on the tower's surface at a scale that reads across the city. Every element from the creation of the bespoke room on the roof to the media playback and remote operation has been engineered to be fast and reliable, so activations can turn around quickly without compromising quality.
The result is a purpose-built infrastructure that removes the logistical complexity that has historically made large-scale building projection difficult. There is no rigging to source, no sightlines to negotiate, no complex approvals to navigate from scratch. The platform is always ready.
THE EVENTS
Since the installation, the Sky Tower has become one of New Zealand's most in-demand activation canvases. The range of events it has served demonstrates the breadth of what the platform makes possible.
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 — As Auckland hosted matches in one of the largest women's sporting events ever held in New Zealand, the Sky Tower served as a beacon for the tournament, turning the city's skyline into part of the fan experience and generating images shared globally across broadcast and social media.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Release — Samsung's flagship phone launch was taken beyond a conventional product reveal and placed on one of the Pacific's most prominent structures. The Sky Tower became part of the campaign itself, giving the release a visual presence that extended well beyond any venue or screen.
Superman (2025) — Released on 11 July 2025, the latest Superman film was celebrated with a projection that transformed the Sky Tower into something fitting for the character: unmistakable, larger than life, and impossible to scroll past. The imagery travelled fast across social media and gave the New Zealand release a moment entirely its own.
Super Mario (2026) — For the 1 April 2026 release of the latest Super Mario film, the Sky Tower became a playful, vibrant canvas that perfectly captured the franchise's spirit. The activation landed across social media well beyond New Zealand's borders, reaching audiences who recognised both the character and the tower.
The Rock 2000 — The Rock radio station's annual countdown of the 1000 greatest rock songs of all time became something far more than a broadcast event. The Sky Tower served as a live projection centrepiece, with a live stream beaming the number-one reveal directly from the tower to a packed live event at Spark Arena. It was a genuinely creative use of the platform — connecting a broadcast audience with a live crowd.
Why This Changes What's Possible
Before this installation existed, large-scale projection mapping on the Sky Tower was a bespoke, expensive, and logistically intensive undertaking.The barrier was high enough that only a handful of activations ever happened.
The partnership between Streamliner and SkyCity changes that entirely. The infrastructure is permanent. The relationship is formalised. The technical setup has been proven across multiple high-profile campaigns across different categories — sport, film, tech, and entertainment. What was once a one-off is now a repeatable product.
For brands, that means faster activations, more predictable costs, and confidence that the output will meet the standard that a global campaign or major release demands. For cultural and media organisations, it means access to a civic platform that genuinely reaches people — on the street, through a camera lens, and across social media simultaneously.
The Sky Tower has always been Auckland's skyline anchor. This partnership turns it into an active communications channel, with Streamliner as the production partner who makes it work.
