Times Square billboards · updated June 2026
How to buy viral social proof for under $500: the most famous screens on earth used to require $50,000 contracts and an agency rolodex. Now it's a checkout — pick a screen, pick your hour, photograph the moment, keep the asset forever.
A Times Square billboard traditionally costs $50,000–$100,000+ per month for premium units, with CPMs of $15–$25. On Blindspot, Times Square exposure starts at about $40 via pay-per-play booking; the marquee One Times Square unit books by the day with a 720-play minimum.
Times Square's superpower is dwell: people come here specifically to look at screens — which is why one photogenic play can travel further online than the board itself.
The strategy
Facebook and Google ads vanish when you stop paying. A Times Square billboard photo is forever — it lives on your website, your pitch deck, your LinkedIn header. A permanent brand asset for the price of a night out.
This is status arbitrage: leveraging Times Square's prestige at a price that makes traditional media buyers uneasy. The data backs the instinct: 76% of consumers take action after seeing a DOOH ad, with 73% favorability (OAAA/Harris Poll). Nielsen finds OOH generates 3× more search impressions per dollar than TV or radio, and ARF data shows OOH lifts ROI by 40% in a digital mix. Our own measured campaigns put DOOH store-visit CPAs at $0.82 versus paid social's $42 — the full argument is in The Drum.
The $40 marketplace
Times Square isn't just for the heavy hitters anymore — our own roster runs from two-person startups to Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Universal Music, Netflix, and TikTok. We've assessed the platforms that get you there, including the ones that aren't us. Transparency scales DOOH.
| Platform | Cost | Best for | Screen location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blindspot | No minimums | Spectaculars & precise hourly scheduling | Multiple, incl. One Times Square |
| TSX (PixelStar) | From $40 / 15-sec slot | Social-proof clips, quick brand moments | 1568 Broadway (flagship corner) |
| Play Network | $40–$50 per shoutout | Centered single-screen statements | 1515 Broadway (Times Square core) |
| Blip Billboards | $50–$300 daily budget | Budget rotation, remnant inventory | Rotating district displays |
The difference is scope: shoutout apps sell one screen; Blindspot is a Techstars-backed platform ($4.4M+ raised) where the same checkout reaches 3M+ screens in 50+ countries — including the One Times Square Spectaculars — with hourly scheduling and instant creative swaps. We lead Times Square in individual campaign volume; it has genuinely surprised the landlords.
Creative that survives moderation
Your $40 slot is wasted if the file gets rejected. Times Square creative is about legibility at distance and passing screen-owner moderation. Three rules cover 90% of rejections:
White backgrounds disappear into the glare. Use high-saturation color: electric blue, safety orange, deep black. The test: if you can't read it from 20 feet, it's a blur on the screen.
URLs read as clutter and convert nobody. QR codes are a pedestrian-safety hazard — auto-rejected. And most premium screens demand motion: convert static logos to a 15-second MP4.
Sans-serif type only (serifs blur). Keep everything inside the center 80% safe zone. Export 1920×1080, H.264, 30fps, 15 seconds.
The logistics
Timing is half the product. 4:00–6:00 PM EST is the window that matters: natural light is optimal for photography, and the tourist, theater, and after-work crowds begin to overlap. Three logistics rules protect your booking: check the NYC event calendar for blackout dates before paying (no refunds for disrupted playback), remember all bookings run on Eastern Time, and use the double-slot strategy — two consecutive slots give your photographer margin for error. The extra $40–$80 is cheap insurance.
Browse Times Square screens with per-play prices shown upfront — including the One Times Square Spectaculars.
15-second MP4 · 1920×1080 · H.264 · 30fps · sans-serif · center 80% safe zone · no URLs or QR codes.
Golden hour (4–6 PM EST) for light and crowds. Two consecutive slots for capture insurance.
From $40, no minimums, no contracts — estimated exposure shown before you pay.
EarthCam + OBS remotely, or a local photographer at street level. The photo is the real product.
The proof cycle
Most buyers aren't in New York — and don't need to be. EarthCam's free live feeds stream Times Square in high definition around the clock. Open the feed full-screen, let it buffer, and record with OBS Studio at 1080p, starting two minutes before your slot. For ground-level shots, hire a local photographer via TaskRabbit or Fiverr for under $100.
Screen ranking points
Scored by Blindspot's location intelligence on visibility, dwell time, and footfall (directional, 1–10). Every one is bookable by the hour on the platform.
The tower the world watches on New Year's Eve. Daily booking, 720-play minimum — the single most photographed ad position on earth.
The seven-story curve at the heart of the financial-news backdrop. Every market story on TV has it in frame.
The seated audience: tourists park on the TKTS steps facing the screens for 20+ minutes. Longest read-time in OOH.
Where the subway exhales: Port Authority and Times Sq–42 St station pour commuters past these screens at street level.
Pre-curtain (6–8 PM) and intermission spill create predictable, affluent evening surges six nights a week.
The on-ramp screens: real Times Square footfall at the friendliest prices in the bowtie. Where smart tests start.
Location insights
Tourists, theatergoers, and after-work crowds overlap between 6 and 9 PM — the bowtie's densest, most photographed window.
The same screens cost less attention-competition at 8 AM, when commuter flow is heavy but ad demand is lighter.
Saturday–Sunday 1–4 PM brings family and matinee surges — a distinct audience most monthly buyers never plan for.
Location intelligence summary
A $50K monthly contract pays for every 4 AM in February. Pay-per-play flips it: concentrate the budget into the golden hours, the market opens, the matinee waves — whatever moment your brand actually needs.
| Objective | Book these zones | Best hours |
|---|---|---|
| Product launch / PR | One Times Square, Nasdaq zone | 6–10 PM + launch day |
| Social amplification | Duffy Square, TKTS steps | 12–9 PM (photo light) |
| Finance / market moments | Nasdaq Tower zone | 9:30 AM open · 4 PM close |
| Commuter frequency | 42nd St corridor | 7–10 AM · 5–8 PM |
| Budget testing | 7th Ave approach | Off-peak weekdays |
Times Square creative is built to be photographed. A 15-second play captured at the right hour becomes the asset your social team runs for weeks.
Most bowtie screens on Blindspot book hourly from ~$40. The flagship One Times Square unit books by the day with a 720-play minimum — still a fraction of a monthly contract.
Snoop Dogg went from idea to live on Times Square in 48 hours and returned 100× ROI. The playbook is in our case studies — and it's repeatable.
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FAQ
The cheapest entry point is $40 for a 15-second slot. While apps like TSX offer single-screen access, Blindspot provides the best ROI by letting you book the iconic 'Spectacular' screens (like One Times Square) with no minimum spend — premium social proof for the same budget.
Pricing is now programmatic, so you don't have to buy a full day. You can spend as little as $40 for a high-impact moment; a full day of rotation typically runs $500–$5,000 depending on the screen's size and location.
Book directly through Blindspot: upload your creative, choose your screen — from flagship Spectaculars to street-level displays — and schedule your play time in minutes. No agency tax, no complex contracts.
Yes. Book a single slot during the Golden Hour (4–6 PM), capture the moment via EarthCam or a local photographer, and you own a permanent brand asset for your website and socials — for the price of a dinner in Midtown.
The TSX app is popular for personal shoutouts, but Blindspot is built for brand strategists: 3M+ screens globally, precise hourly scheduling, instant creative swaps, and verified play logs — features a simple social app can't match.
4:00–6:00 PM EST is the golden window: natural light is optimal for photography, and tourists, theatergoers, and after-work crowds begin to overlap. Book two consecutive slots for capture insurance.
Broadway is waiting
From $40. No agency, no contract, no kidding.