| Screen | Where | Published detail | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC Supersign | Times Square | 3,685-square-foot electronic icon | A landmark option. Ask your provider whether it is on their list. |
| Everest Digital | 46th & Broadway, directly across from Broadway Plaza | 6,200 square feet | Large, and easy to pair with a stop in the plaza opposite. |
| Times Square Gateway | 50th St & Broadway | Double-stacked digital spectaculars facing north | View it from the north side, because the faces point north. |
| Broadway Beacon | 49th St & 7th Avenue, at the entrance of Times Square | Lower screen is a 31 ft x 109 ft curved full-motion digital display | Easy to find on arrival. Good as a meeting point. |
| 1530 Broadway | 7th Avenue frontage | Positioned just above eye level, with vehicular exposure on 7th Avenue | Needs little height to frame, so it suits a street-level viewing spot. |
| Midtown Mosaic | 42nd Street, Manhattan | Targets eastbound and westbound traffic | Look along the street, not across the square. |
| Big Outdoor | 42nd & 8th, across from Port Authority | Sits at one of the busiest intersections in NYC | Agree a precise meeting point before you go. |
| Broadway Plaza Digital | Above one of Times Square’s main pedestrian plazas | Full-motion screen | You can watch from the plaza itself. |
| Nasdaq Market Site | Times Square | LED display over seven stories tall | Allow distance to take in its full height. |
| Midtown Financial (MiFi) | Times Square | 22 stories tall, with 2 LED screens | Plan a wide, upward-angled view. |
| 7 Times Square | Times Square | The most prominent focal point in Times Square | A natural reference landmark when giving directions. |
Details above come from the Times Square Alliance advertising listings, which describe these screens as advertising inventory.
Times square billboard locations for personal messages cluster along Broadway and 7th Avenue, between 42nd Street and 50th Street. Confirm which screen your provider uses, then stand where you face that screen.
If you are still deciding whether to send a times square billboard message at all, start with that overview. This page deals only with where the screens are and where to stand.
Before you travel: match the screen to your plan
Personal messages run on screens that a provider sells, so the first job is finding out which one you are getting. The Alliance’s list shows what exists in the district. It does not mean every screen on it takes a personal message. Ordering steps, deadlines and payment sit in our guide on how to book a times square billboard message.
- Ask for the screen name or corner. Use the table above to turn “a Times Square billboard” into an actual street corner you can walk to.
- Ask for slot length and frequency. One operator’s listing says a 60-second slot plays 22 times a day, a 30-second slot 44 times a day and a 15-second slot 88 times a day. Treat those as that operator’s own terms, not a district standard.
- Pick a viewing spot from the screen’s direction. Gateway faces north and Midtown Mosaic is aimed at 42nd Street traffic, so a spot behind or beside the screen may give a poor view.
Does the screen change price or visibility?
It can change visibility more clearly than it changes price. The same operator listing quotes $500 per day for a billboard. That is one provider’s example, not a comparison between screens, so ask each provider what a specific screen costs. Visibility depends on size, height and orientation. Everest Digital’s 6,200 square feet and Nasdaq’s height of over seven stories are published on the Alliance’s advertising page. Clear Channel also says it can sync all six of its screens for one advertiser. That is a campaign tool, and a single personal message does not need it.
On arrival: reading the screen map by street
Times Square is easier to navigate once you know that Broadway crosses 7th Avenue diagonally, so the district is formed by two triangular squares. Screens sit around those triangles and along the cross streets.
Broadway and 7th Avenue
Broadway Beacon stands on the prime corner at 49th Street and 7th Avenue, at the entrance of Times Square. Its lower screen is a curved digital display of 31 ft x 109 ft, according to the Alliance listing. The 1530 Broadway unit is described as just above eye level and aimed at the pedestrian crowds moving through. That makes it the most approachable screen for a close photo.
Broadway between 46th and 50th Streets
Everest Digital sits at 46th and Broadway, directly across from Broadway Plaza. Times Square Gateway’s double-stacked screens stand at 50th and Broadway and face north. The Alliance also places Broadway Plaza Digital above one of the district’s main pedestrian plazas. A plaza under a screen is the most practical spot for a group to stand together.
42nd Street and 8th Avenue
Midtown Mosaic’s digital signs target eastbound and westbound traffic on Manhattan’s 42nd Street, so view them from along the street. Big Outdoor, across from Port Authority at 42nd and 8th, is described as being in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in NYC. Pick a landmark on the corner for your meeting point so nobody has to search a crowd.
At the screen: where to stand and film
Choose your viewing position based on the screen’s direction and your group’s size.
The red steps
OUTFRONT describes crowds gathering on the red steps to take in the surrounding billboards, next to the TKTS booth for last-minute Broadway tickets. The steps suit a group that wants to sit and keep a steady view of several screens at once. The extra height helps for filming over passers-by.
Broadway Plaza
The Alliance mentions street performances occurring directly below the Broadway Plaza Digital sign. If you stand in the plaza, expect a lively backdrop and a steady flow of onlookers. It suits a casual, candid recording better than a tightly staged one.
Street level
For 1530 Broadway, the just-above-eye-level placement means you can film from the pavement. For tall units such as Nasdaq (over seven stories) and Midtown Financial (22 stories with 2 LED screens), step back to fit the whole display in the frame. Details are on the Alliance’s advertising page.
Timing your visit and the crowds
Times Square is busy all day, and OUTFRONT reports daily pedestrian counts averaging 286,000, with peak periods exceeding 400,000. Those counts cover the district as a whole, not individual corners, so assume any viewing spot near the main screens will be crowded when it counts. The same page puts the district at more than 300,000 square feet of digital signage, which is why out-of-home advertising here is spread across so many corners.
Arrive well before your scheduled slot, settle into your spot, and keep your phone camera ready. The slot timings in one provider’s listing show that short slots repeat through the hour, which gives a second chance if the first pass is missed. That applies only if your provider runs the message that way.
Troubleshooting at the spot
- You cannot see the screen. Check which way it faces. Gateway faces north and Midtown Mosaic targets traffic along 42nd Street, so move to the side the display points toward.
- The crowd blocks your view. Move to the red steps, where OUTFRONT says people gather to view the billboards, or step back from a tall unit to widen the frame.
- You cannot find the right corner. Start at the Broadway Beacon corner at 49th Street and 7th Avenue, then walk to the 46th Street or 50th Street Broadway corners listed in the table.
- The group has split up. Name one fixed meeting point on the corner, such as Broadway Plaza or the Beacon entrance, before anyone wanders.
Once you know the corner, you can finalize the wording. Our times square billboard message ideas page is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Is Times Square one square?
No. Broadway crosses the intersection with 7th Avenue diagonally, so Times Square is made up of two triangular squares, according to one local operator’s guide.
How long do visitors usually stay?
The median time spent in Times Square is 81 minutes, based on a 2017 Times Square Alliance advertising study cited by OUTFRONT. Plan your viewing slot with that in mind.
Which published screen is the largest?
Of the screens with sizes in square feet, Everest Digital, at 46th and Broadway, is listed at 6,200 square feet. ABC Supersign is listed at 3,685. See the Alliance’s advertising page.
Who is in the crowd?
OUTFRONT’s audience split is 50% New Yorkers, 33% domestic tourists and 17% international visitors, per its Times Square page.
