Shared rotation spot on a secondary screen (a few seconds in a loop with other ads)
Roughly $150 to $3,000 per day, depending on the screen, spot length and how often your slot comes around.
Times Square billboard cost and what a spot, a week or a takeover really runs
The Times Square billboard cost you'll be quoted depends on three things: the screen, the length of your spot and the week you want. Shared rotation starts in the low hundreds per day, while a flagship screen or a New Year's Eve slot moves into five and six figures. Here's how Times Square advertising cost is set and what to check before you pay.
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Key takeaways
The short version
Before you read on
- A short spot in shared rotation on a secondary screen usually runs from about $150 to $3,000 a day.
- Dedicated spots on the big spectacular screens tend to cost $5,000 to $50,000 a day, depending on the screen and the season.
- Four-week flights on marquee screens often land between $50,000 and $300,000, and a New Year's Eve takeover can pass $500,000.
- No operator publishes a single rate card: screen position, play frequency and dates set the quote.
- Creative production is almost always billed separately from airtime, so budget for it from day one.
- For most small businesses, a targeted digital campaign reaches more likely buyers per dollar than a Times Square screen.
Why it matters
Why Times Square screens charge what they do
Somewhere between 300,000 and 460,000 people walk through Times Square on a typical day. That foot traffic is only part of the story. The square shows up constantly in TV broadcasts, news segments and millions of tourist photos and videos, so an ad there gets seen far beyond Midtown. You're paying for that reach, not for square feet of LED.
Most ads here run on digital spectaculars owned by a handful of large out-of-home operators, including Clear Channel Outdoor, Outfront Media and Lamar. Each one prices its screens privately. Rates move with the exact location, screen size, daypart and flight length, which is why you won't find an official public price list.
How you buy matters too. Going straight to the screen owner usually means a bigger commitment of time and money. Smaller brands tend to go through resellers that split one screen among many advertisers and sell short slots in a shared loop. The same logic sets the broader digital billboard advertising cost in any big city, but Times Square sits at the extreme end of the range.
What it costs
How much does it cost to advertise in Times Square
Dedicated 10 to 30 second spot on a large spectacular
Typically $5,000 to $50,000 per day, with your ad repeating every few minutes.
Four-week flight on a marquee screen
Often $50,000 to $300,000, driven mostly by daily plays and the screen's position on the square.
Multi-screen takeover or a New Year's Eve slot
From about $150,000 into the millions for launches, film premieres and year-end takeovers, with New Year's Eve alone able to exceed $500,000 for one night.
In short
The numbers behind a Times Square quote
300K to 460K
pedestrians crossing the square on a typical day
$150+
entry point for a short spot in shared rotation
$50K+
starting point for a four-week flight on a marquee screen
50+
digital advertising screens around the square
What to know
What pushes your final price up or down
Screen position comes first. The spectaculars facing the Broadway and Seventh Avenue crossing, visible from the red steps and in most tourist photos, cost far more than panels on a side wall a block away, even though both count as Times Square.
Play frequency is next. A short ad that shows up a few times an hour costs much less than the same file looping every couple of minutes from morning to midnight. Timing matters as well: rates climb around the holidays, on New Year's Eve and during big televised events staged on the square.
Then there's the creative. Airtime rarely includes production, and every screen has its own resolution, aspect ratio and file rules. Hiring a studio to build and resize a clip usually adds a few thousand dollars, sometimes more for motion-heavy work. If you're comparing this to electronic billboard advertising cost in your home market, remember that production is a separate line item there too.
Step by step
How to advertise in Times Square, step by step
Step 1
Decide what the ad is for
A one-day PR moment and a steady brand presence over several weeks call for very different budgets and flight lengths, so settle this before you ask for quotes.
Step 2
Contact a screen owner or a reseller
Reach out to operators such as Clear Channel Outdoor or Outfront Media directly, or to an out-of-home broker that sells slots on several Times Square screens.
Step 3
Ask for availability on specific dates
Quotes are built for one screen and one date range, so give exact dates and ask what's open rather than asking for a general rate.
Step 4
Build the creative to the screen's spec
Get the pixel dimensions, file format and length limits in writing, then produce or adapt your video so it doesn't look stretched or soft.
Step 5
Lock in the schedule and proof of play
Confirm the exact hours and play frequency in your booking, and ask for an affidavit of performance or a proof-of-play report once the flight ends.
Checklist
Questions to settle before you pay for a Times Square screen
Run through these points with the seller first, so you don't end up paying for a slot that few people actually notice.
Checklist
- Exactly where the screen sits and whether it's visible from the main viewing spots on the square
- How many times per day your ad plays and how long each play lasts
- The pixel dimensions and file format the operator needs
- Whether the quote covers creative production or airtime only
- How the operator proves your ad ran: a report, photos or video from the screen
- Any extra charges for prime hours, weekends or holiday dates
Good to know
Is a Times Square billboard worth it for a small business
For most small and midsize companies, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a week in New York doesn't pay back in sales. It can make sense when the goal is image: a photo or clip of your brand on a famous screen that you'll use across social media, a launch announcement or a sales deck.
If that's what you're after, a short personal-style shoutout is the cheaper route. These slots flash a logo or a short message for a few seconds and often cost a few hundred dollars. Treat it as a content asset or a gift, not as a real advertising campaign.
If you need reach among people who might actually buy, a targeted digital campaign usually does more with less. Paid search, paid social or programmatic ads can put a far smaller budget in front of a much larger group of interested people, and you can measure every click. See how we approach Google Ads management and public relations for that kind of goal.
Before you start
A billboard isn't the only way to get noticed
Before you commit to a New York screen, it's worth running the numbers on what the same budget could do in digital, PR or influencer work. Ask us for a free marketing analysis: the PDF lands in your inbox within 24 hours. A senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing then matches a vetted specialist or a small team with experience in campaigns of that size, keeps an eye on the plan and budget, and stays your one point of contact. You can read more on how it works or get in touch.
FAQ
Questions companies ask us
Short answers. The free analysis call covers anything specific to your company.
01What's the cheapest Times Square billboard you can buy?
Short shoutout slots that flash a photo or message for a few seconds in a shared loop are the lowest entry point, often a few hundred dollars. A proper business spot in shared rotation on a secondary screen usually starts around $150 to $300 a day and rises from there.
02Does the season change Times Square advertising rates?
Yes. Rates rise when tourist and media attention peaks: the winter holidays, New Year's Eve and major events broadcast from the square. Booking a quieter month can stretch the same budget over more days or a better screen.
03What's the Times Square billboard price per day on the flagship screens?
Flagship spectaculars such as the Nasdaq tower or One Times Square often run $5,000 to $50,000 or more per day for a dedicated spot. Launch campaigns that take over several screens can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
04Is video production included in the price?
Usually not. The quote typically covers airtime only. You'll need creative built to the screen's exact resolution and file rules, and hiring a studio for that tends to add a few thousand dollars to the budget.
05How much does a Times Square billboard cost for 30 seconds?
A dedicated spot of up to 30 seconds on a large spectacular typically runs $5,000 to $50,000 per day, with the ad repeating every few minutes in rotation. Short loops on secondary screens start far lower, and producing creative to the screen spec is a separate cost.
06How long does one Times Square ad play?
A standard spot lasts anywhere from a few seconds to about 30 seconds. It runs in rotation with other advertisers, often repeating every few minutes throughout the day, depending on the package you book.
07What is the Times Square New Year's Eve advertising cost?
New Year's Eve is the most expensive night of the year on the square. Premium screens are often sold as takeovers, and a single night can pass $500,000. Inventory for that date tends to be reserved months ahead.
08Can a small business from outside New York buy a Times Square ad?
Yes. There's no special requirement beyond contacting a screen owner or a reseller and supplying approved creative. Given the cost, it's smart to check first whether the slot actually serves a business goal, such as content for your social channels.
09Is there a cheaper way to get a similar brand boost?
Often, yes. A well-planned mix of social media, PR and influencer work can create comparable buzz for far less money, and it reaches people who already care about your category instead of passersby.
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