The short answer
Digital screen advertising in the UK spans a huge price range because "a screen" can mean anything from a display in a local gym to a giant board on a motorway junction. As a rule of thumb, local digital screens — in shops, gyms, salons, venues and smaller roadside sites — typically cost from a few pounds up to around £20–£30 per screen per day, depending on location and how often your ad plays. Large premium roadside billboards in city centres are a different market entirely, often running to hundreds or thousands of pounds per week, usually with minimum spends that put them out of reach for most small businesses.
For a local business, that means a meaningful multi-week campaign across several well-chosen screens is realistic from a few hundred pounds — not the five-figure sums people often assume.
What actually determines the cost
Four factors drive almost all of the price variation. Location and footfall matter most: a screen on a busy arterial road or in a high-traffic venue costs more than one in a quiet side street, because you're paying for eyeballs. Share of the loop is the second: digital screens rotate several ads, so the more slots you buy, the more often yours plays and the more it costs. Duration is straightforward — longer campaigns cost more in total but usually less per day. And time targeting can work in your favour: if your ad only needs to run Thursday to Sunday, or only during commuting hours, you shouldn't be paying for the dead time — though many sellers charge you for it anyway.
How screen advertising compares to other channels
| Channel | Typical entry cost | What you're buying |
|---|---|---|
| Local digital screens | From ~£150–£300 per campaign | Repeated physical visibility in your exact area; can't be scrolled past or ad-blocked |
| Traditional paper billboard | Often £500–£1,500+ per site per fortnight plus print | One static site, one message, long lead times |
| Facebook / Instagram ads | Any budget | Precise targeting but crowded feeds, rising costs, and instant scroll-past |
| Google Ads | Varies; competitive local terms can be £2–£10+ per click | People actively searching — powerful, but you pay per click and compete on price |
| Local print / leaflets | From ~£100–£500 | One-shot delivery, hard to measure, easy to bin |
These channels aren't rivals so much as layers. Screens do the thing digital ads can't: they put your brand in the physical world your customers move through every day, building the recognition that makes your other marketing convert better.
What you'd actually pay with SNDsignage — worked examples
Our management fee covers everything: screen selection, scheduling, campaign setup, and creative guidance. You choose the ad budget; we make it work as hard as possible.
Starter — testing the water
£300 ad budget + £100 management = £400 total. Roughly 2–4 weeks across 3 local screens, scheduled for your best trading hours, with estimated daily plays and reach shown before you pay a penny.
Local push — a serious presence
£650 ad budget + £100 management = £750 total. The most budget you can run on the flat fee — a sustained month-plus campaign across 3 screens, or add extra screens at £30 each.
Area domination
£1,500 ad budget + 15% (£225) management + 2 extra screens (£60) = £1,785 total. Five screens covering the routes and venues your customers actually use, for six weeks or more.
Is it worth it for a small business?
Run the maths on your own customer value. If one new customer is worth £100+ to you — true for estate agents, car dealers, dentists, aesthetics clinics, restaurants and gyms — then a £400 campaign pays for itself with a handful of new customers, and everything beyond that is profit. The businesses screen advertising doesn't suit are those with very low customer values or no local catchment; if that's you, we'll say so rather than take your money.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum budget?
No hard minimum, but we'll be honest: below around £150 of ad budget, a campaign is too short or too infrequent to build recognition. Our budget calculator shows estimated plays and reach at any figure, so you can see the trade-off before committing.
Do I need to design my own ad?
No — creative guidance is included in the management fee. Most screen ads are a single bold image: logo, offer, contact. If you have brand assets, we work with them; if not, we'll help you get something effective made.
Can my ad run only at certain times?
Yes, and this is where a lot of the value hides. Restaurant open Friday to Sunday? Your ads can run Thursday to Sunday when people are planning the weekend. You pick the days and hours in the campaign brief.
How quickly can I go live?
Typically within a few working days of your creative being approved. Tell us your target date in the brief and we plan around it.
Am I locked into a contract?
No. You pay per campaign. If it works, run another; if it doesn't, you owe us nothing further.
See what your budget gets you
Our campaign builder shows estimated daily plays and reach for your budget and area before you pay anything — it takes about three minutes.
Build my campaignTypical market prices on this page are indicative ranges based on published UK out-of-home rates and vary by location, availability and season. SNDsignage prices are exact and current as of July 2026.