Times Square billboards went dark for one minute to show support for struggling restaurants and hospitality businesses

by

A number of Times Square's famously bright billboards went dark for one minute on Wednesday night to draw attention to businesses and nonprofits that are struggling during the pandemic. 

The effort was led by the Business Interruption Group, a coalition of restaurant and hospitality industry leaders who says insurance companies are using technicalities to get out of paying business interruption claims, according to CFO Dive.

Their founder members include superstar chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Cat Cora, and Thomas Keller.

Billboards go momentarily dark in Times Square in a show of support for restaurants, hospitality businesses and non-profits during the coronavirus crisis on May 27, 2020 in New York City.Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

BIG partnered with Times Square Alliance and the NYC Hospitality Alliance on the blackout, hoping to send a symbolic message "that the insurers are turning the lights out on businesses," John Houghtaling, BIG's general counsel, told CNN.

At 9 pm, over 100 million LED pixels went dark for 60 seconds on signage from 46th Street to 48th Street on Broadway and along the entire corner of 47th and 7th Avenue.