What a Times Square billboard costs per 1,000 people, next to digital ads
About 200,000 people pass the board on a day. Here is what a day costs per 1,000 of them, what that means in actual views of your ad, and how it sits next to the CPMs you pay on Meta and LinkedIn. Every assumption is written out so you can check it.
The numbers
- Per 1,000 people who walk past the board on your day (about 200,000, an estimate): $0.55 for a Single, $1.00 for a Double. These are passers-by, not ad views, so don't compare this number with the digital CPMs below.
- Per 1,000 estimated views of your ad (the number to compare with digital CPMs): a Single about $14–$36, a Double about $13–$33.
- LinkedIn: $25–$60 per 1,000 impressions, about $34 on average; more for senior B2B audiences.
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram): $7–$18 per 1,000 impressions, about $11.50 on average.
- YouTube in-stream: $9–$15 per 1,000 impressions, skippable about $11.
- TikTok: $4–$12 per 1,000 impressions.
- Google Display: $3–$8 per 1,000 impressions.
How we work out views
A showing is seen by whoever is in view of the board at that moment. We take the 200,000 people a day, assume each spends 2 to 5 minutes in view, and spread them over all 24 hours. That puts roughly 278 to 694 people in view at each showing.
So a Single's 11 showings reach about 3,100 to 7,600 views, and a Double's 22 about 6,100 to 15,300. It is conservative: most people pass in the day and evening, when most showings play.
What the comparison leaves out
A feed impression is a thumb-scroll that is gone in a second. Your ad here fills a 55 × 31 ft screen for 10 seconds, in the middle of Times Square, with no skip button.
And the day doesn't end when it ends. The clip of your ad on the board goes on your website, your posts, your sales deck and your pitch to press, and every view of that clip is free. A Meta impression can't be reused.
Why trust beats a lower CPM
Even where the CPM is higher than a feed ad, the trust is worth more. A feed impression is gone in a second; a clip of your brand on a Times Square billboard gets reshared by your team, customers and partners, and it keeps working. Suppliers, customers and enterprise buyers read it as a sign you are established, which helps you win better terms, bigger accounts and enterprise deals.
- Reshares: your team, customers and fans post it to their own networks, so it reaches people no ad targeting would, at no extra cost.
- Customers: "As seen in Times Square" on your site and store makes a new buyer more confident to pay.
- Suppliers and partners: it signals you are growing and here to stay, which helps with terms and priority.
- Enterprise deals: in a sales deck or a procurement review, it reads as a real, established brand, not a small unknown vendor.
- Hiring and investors: it shows momentum, and it gets talked about.
The honest read
On views alone, a Double costs about the same as or less than LinkedIn, and a little more than Meta. On footfall, it is under a dollar per 1,000 people. Digital ads win on targeting; the billboard wins on presence and on the proof you keep. Most brands use both: the board for the moment and the credibility, digital to spread the clip.
Quick answers
What is the CPM of a Times Square billboard?
By our estimate, about $13–$33 per 1,000 views for a Double, and $14–$36 for a Single. That counts people likely to see the ad, not everyone who walks by. The method is on this page.
If the CPM can be higher than Meta, why is it worth it?
Even where the CPM is higher than a feed ad, the trust is worth more. A feed impression is gone in a second; a clip of your brand on a Times Square billboard gets reshared by your team, customers and partners, and it keeps working. Suppliers, customers and enterprise buyers read it as a sign you are established, which helps you win better terms, bigger accounts and enterprise deals.
Is a Times Square billboard cheaper than LinkedIn ads?
Per 1,000 views it is at or below LinkedIn: about $13–$33 for a Double, against a LinkedIn average of about $34 in 2026. And you keep the clip.
Is it cheaper than Meta ads?
Per impression, Meta is usually cheaper (about $7–$18 per 1,000; a Double here is about $13–$33 per 1,000 views). Per person passing, the board is under a dollar per 1,000. Meta wins on targeting; the board wins on presence and the proof you can reuse.