I believe the term for things like this is an 'information radiator'. The benefit of ambient displays is they're always on so you don't need to seek any information out. It's just there.
They're quite popular in the agile community. Digital signage and wallboards everywhere. The downside is you can become conditioned to them and not notice things over time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-MxGvtK2Bk