State of Digital Signage 2026
The digital signage industry continues its strong growth trajectory, driven by advances in display technology, AI-powered content optimization, and the convergence of physical and digital customer experiences. This comprehensive annual report examines the current state of the industry, key trends, and predictions for the future.
Executive Summary
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2026 DIGITAL SIGNAGE AT A GLANCE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GLOBAL MARKET SIZE │ ANNUAL GROWTH RATE │
│ $35.2 Billion │ 8.2% CAGR │
│ (up from $32.5B in 2025) │ (projected through 2030) │
│ │ │
│ TOTAL CONNECTED DISPLAYS │ DOOH AD SPEND │
│ 75 Million+ │ $18.5 Billion │
│ (commercial/retail only) │ (up 12% YoY) │
│ │ │
│ AVERAGE DEPLOYMENT SIZE │ CLOUD CMS ADOPTION │
│ 23 screens │ 78% │
│ (up from 18 in 2023) │ (vs 22% on-premise) │
│ │ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Findings
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Market Size | $30.1B | $32.5B | $35.2B | +8.3% |
| Connected Displays | 62M | 68M | 75M | +10.3% |
| Average ROI | 35% | 38% | 42% | +4 pts |
| AI-Powered Content | 12% | 24% | 41% | +17 pts |
| 4K+ Deployments | 34% | 47% | 62% | +15 pts |
Market Overview
Global Market Size & Growth
The digital signage market continues robust expansion across all regions:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MARKET SIZE BY REGION (2026) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ NORTH AMERICA │
│ $12.3 Billion (35%) │
│ ████████████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ EUROPE │
│ $9.2 Billion (26%) │
│ ██████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ ASIA PACIFIC │
│ $10.6 Billion (30%) │
│ ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ REST OF WORLD │
│ $3.1 Billion (9%) │
│ █████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ Growth Leaders: │
│ • India: +18% YoY │
│ • Southeast Asia: +15% YoY │
│ • Middle East: +14% YoY │
│ • Latin America: +11% YoY │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Market Segmentation
By Application:
| Segment | Market Share | YoY Growth | Avg. Deployment Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 31% | +9% | 35 screens |
| Corporate | 19% | +7% | 18 screens |
| Transportation | 14% | +11% | 85 screens |
| Healthcare | 12% | +13% | 24 screens |
| Hospitality | 10% | +8% | 42 screens |
| Education | 8% | +6% | 28 screens |
| Government | 6% | +5% | 45 screens |
By Component:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MARKET BY COMPONENT TYPE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ HARDWARE (48%) │
│ ├── Displays: 58% of hardware │
│ ├── Media Players: 24% of hardware │
│ ├── Mounts & Enclosures: 12% of hardware │
│ └── Other (cables, etc.): 6% of hardware │
│ │
│ SOFTWARE (32%) │
│ ├── Cloud CMS: 72% of software │
│ ├── On-premise CMS: 18% of software │
│ └── Analytics/AI: 10% of software │
│ │
│ SERVICES (20%) │
│ ├── Installation: 35% of services │
│ ├── Content Creation: 30% of services │
│ ├── Managed Services: 25% of services │
│ └── Consulting: 10% of services │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Technology Trends
Display Technology Evolution
The shift to larger, higher-resolution, and specialized displays continues:
Resolution Adoption:
| Resolution | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8K | 1% | 3% | 7% | ⬆ Emerging |
| 4K | 33% | 44% | 55% | ⬆ Growing |
| FHD (1080p) | 52% | 42% | 32% | ⬇ Declining |
| HD (720p) | 14% | 11% | 6% | ⬇ Legacy |
Display Type Trends:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ LCD/LED BACKLIT (Still Dominant) │
│ 2024: 72% │ 2025: 65% │ 2026: 58% │
│ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ │
│ │
│ DIRECT VIEW LED (Fastest Growing) │
│ 2024: 15% │ 2025: 21% │ 2026: 28% │
│ ████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ OLED (Premium Segment) │
│ 2024: 5% │ 2025: 7% │ 2026: 9% │
│ █████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ E-PAPER (Specialized Use) │
│ 2024: 3% │ 2025: 4% │ 2026: 5% │
│ █████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ Key Drivers: │
│ • LED: Price decline of 15-20% annually │
│ • OLED: Burn-in solutions improving │
│ • E-Paper: Sustainability requirements │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Software & Platform Trends
CMS Architecture:
| Architecture | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud-native | 52% | 62% | 71% | 78% |
| Hybrid | 18% | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| On-premise | 30% | 18% | 12% | 8% |
Key Software Features Adoption:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SOFTWARE FEATURE ADOPTION 2026 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ FEATURE │ ADOPTION │ GROWTH vs 2024 │
│ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Remote monitoring & management │ 92% │ +8% │
│ Cloud-based content delivery │ 85% │ +12% │
│ Playlist scheduling │ 88% │ +5% │
│ Mobile management apps │ 76% │ +15% │
│ API/Integration capabilities │ 68% │ +22% │
│ AI-powered content optimization │ 41% │ +29% │
│ Real-time data integration │ 54% │ +18% │
│ Interactive/touch support │ 47% │ +11% │
│ Audience analytics │ 38% │ +24% │
│ Programmatic ad support │ 29% │ +35% │
│ AR/VR content support │ 12% │ +67% │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
AI & Automation
AI adoption in digital signage has reached an inflection point:
AI Use Cases:
| AI Application | Adoption 2026 | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Content scheduling optimization | 38% | +23% engagement |
| Audience measurement | 35% | Demographics without PII |
| Dynamic content generation | 28% | Reduced production costs |
| A/B testing automation | 24% | Faster optimization |
| Predictive maintenance | 19% | 40% fewer failures |
| Natural language control | 12% | Simplified management |
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AI ADOPTION TRAJECTORY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ % of deployments using AI │
│ │
│ 50% ┤ ●─ 2026: 41% │
│ │ ●─── │
│ 40% ┤ ●─── │
│ │ ●─── │
│ 30% ┤ ●─── ← Inflection point │
│ │ ●─── │
│ 20% ┤ ●─── │
│ │ ●─── │
│ 10% ┤ ●─── │
│ │ ●─── │
│ 0% ┼───●───┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────── │
│ 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 │
│ │
│ Projection: 65% adoption by 2028 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Deployment Statistics
Network Size Distribution
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DEPLOYMENT SIZE DISTRIBUTION │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ NETWORK SIZE │ % OF DEPLOYMENTS │ AVG SCREENS/SITE │
│ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ 1-5 screens │ 42% │ 2.3 │
│ 6-25 screens │ 31% │ 12 │
│ 26-100 screens │ 17% │ 48 │
│ 101-500 screens │ 7% │ 215 │
│ 500+ screens │ 3% │ 1,850 │
│ │
│ TREND: Consolidation toward larger networks │
│ • Average deployment size: 23 screens (up from 18 in 2023) │
│ • 500+ screen deployments grew 28% YoY │
│ • Single-screen deployments declined 12% YoY │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Player Hardware Preferences
| Player Type | Market Share | Trend | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| System-on-Chip (SoC) | 48% | ⬆ +8% | Simple content, retail |
| Windows | 24% | ⬇ -3% | Complex apps, interactive |
| Android | 18% | ⬆ +5% | Mid-range, versatile |
| Linux | 7% | ⬇ -2% | Enterprise, custom |
| Chrome OS | 3% | ⬆ +2% | Education, simple |
Processor Architecture:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MEDIA PLAYER ARCHITECTURE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ARM-BASED (Low power, embedded) │
│ 2024: 58% → 2026: 67% │
│ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ │
│ │
│ x86/x64 (Performance, compatibility) │
│ 2024: 42% → 2026: 33% │
│ █████████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ Drivers of ARM growth: │
│ • SoC display integration │
│ • Lower power consumption │
│ • Reduced hardware costs │
│ • Improved video decoding │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Market
DOOH Advertising Spend
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DOOH ADVERTISING MARKET │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GLOBAL DOOH AD SPEND │
│ │
│ $20B ┤ ●─ $18.5B │
│ │ ●─── │
│ $16B ┤ ●─── │
│ │ ●─── │
│ $12B ┤ ●───●─── │
│ │ ●─── (pandemic recovery) │
│ $8B ┤ ●───●─── │
│ │ ●─── │
│ $4B ┤ ●─── │
│ │ │
│ $0B ┼───┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────┬───────── │
│ 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 │
│ │
│ DOOH as % of total OOH: 42% (up from 32% in 2020) │
│ Projection: 55% by 2028 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Programmatic DOOH Growth
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programmatic DOOH spend | $3.8B | $5.2B | $6.9B | +33% |
| % of total DOOH | 26% | 32% | 38% | +6 pts |
| Avg. CPM | $8.50 | $9.20 | $9.80 | +7% |
| SSP-connected screens | 1.2M | 1.8M | 2.5M | +39% |
DOOH Venue Categories:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DOOH VENUE BREAKDOWN (Ad Revenue) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ TRANSIT (Airports, Stations, Vehicles) │
│ 28% of DOOH revenue │
│ ████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ ROADSIDE (Billboards, Street Furniture) │
│ 24% of DOOH revenue │
│ ████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ RETAIL (Malls, Stores, Gas Stations) │
│ 22% of DOOH revenue │
│ ██████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ PLACE-BASED (Gyms, Offices, Restaurants) │
│ 15% of DOOH revenue │
│ ███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ CINEMA │
│ 6% of DOOH revenue │
│ ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
│ OTHER (Healthcare, Education) │
│ 5% of DOOH revenue │
│ █████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROI & Business Impact
Return on Investment Benchmarks
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ROI BY INDUSTRY VERTICAL │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ RETAIL │
│ Average ROI: 52% │ Payback Period: 14 months │
│ • 29% increase in unplanned purchases │
│ • 32% reduction in perceived wait time │
│ • 18% increase in basket size (when promoted) │
│ │
│ QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS │
│ Average ROI: 48% │ Payback Period: 11 months │
│ • 38% of viewers made unplanned purchases │
│ • 8% average ticket increase with menu boards │
│ • 45% reduction in menu printing costs │
│ │
│ CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS │
│ Average ROI: 28% │ Payback Period: 24 months │
│ • 47% increase in message recall │
│ • 25% reduction in email communications │
│ • 32% improvement in employee engagement scores │
│ │
│ HEALTHCARE │
│ Average ROI: 35% │ Payback Period: 18 months │
│ • 28% reduction in perceived wait time │
│ • 22% increase in ancillary service awareness │
│ • 35% reduction in printed materials │
│ │
│ DOOH ADVERTISING │
│ Average ROI: 64% │ Payback Period: 9 months │
│ • $6-12 CPM (vs $15-25 online video) │
│ • 85% ad recall rate │
│ • 4x engagement vs static OOH │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Cost Trends
| Component | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 3-Year Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55" Commercial LCD | $850 | $780 | $720 | -15% |
| LED (per sq meter) | $2,400 | $2,000 | $1,680 | -30% |
| Media Player (mid-tier) | $350 | $320 | $290 | -17% |
| Cloud CMS (per screen/mo) | $18 | $16 | $14 | -22% |
| Professional Install | $450 | $475 | $500 | +11% |
| Content Creation | $3,500 | $3,200 | $2,800 | -20% |
Industry Challenges
Top Challenges Reported by Deployers
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TOP DEPLOYMENT CHALLENGES (2026) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ CHALLENGE │ % REPORTING │ CHANGE vs 2024 │
│ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Content creation resources │ 62% │ -8% │
│ Integration with existing │ 54% │ -12% │
│ systems │ │ │
│ Budget constraints │ 51% │ -6% │
│ Proving ROI to stakeholders │ 47% │ -15% │
│ Network/connectivity issues │ 42% │ -5% │
│ Finding skilled staff │ 38% │ +3% │
│ Security concerns │ 35% │ +8% │
│ Hardware reliability │ 28% │ -10% │
│ Compliance requirements │ 24% │ +12% │
│ Scaling deployments │ 21% │ -4% │
│ │
│ EMERGING CHALLENGES: │
│ • AI/ML integration complexity: 18% (new) │
│ • Sustainability requirements: 15% (new) │
│ • Privacy regulations: 22% (+9%) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Content Creation Gap
The content challenge remains significant:
| Metric | Finding |
|---|---|
| Organizations with dedicated content team | 34% |
| Using AI for content assistance | 41% |
| Updating content weekly or more | 52% |
| Satisfied with content quality | 48% |
| Budget allocated to content (avg) | 22% of total |
Sustainability Trends
Environmental Focus
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ADOPTION OF SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES │
│ │
│ Energy-efficient displays ████████████████████████ 72% │
│ Automated brightness control ██████████████████████ 68% │
│ E-waste recycling programs ████████████████ 52% │
│ Carbon footprint tracking ████████████ 41% │
│ Solar-powered installations ██████ 23% │
│ E-paper for suitable apps █████ 18% │
│ │
│ ENERGY REDUCTION ACHIEVED │
│ • Average 35% reduction with smart brightness │
│ • 45% reduction with scheduling optimization │
│ • 60% reduction when replacing older displays │
│ │
│ REGULATORY DRIVERS │
│ • EU Energy Efficiency Directive │
│ • California Title 24 │
│ • Corporate ESG commitments │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Future Predictions
2027-2030 Outlook
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS 2027-2030 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ TECHNOLOGY PREDICTIONS │
│ │
│ • MicroLED will reach price parity with LCD by 2029 │
│ • 65% of deployments will use AI-driven content by 2028 │
│ • Transparent displays will move from novelty to 5% adoption │
│ • AR integration will be standard in 20% of retail by 2030 │
│ • Voice/gesture control in 35% of interactive deployments │
│ │
│ MARKET PREDICTIONS │
│ │
│ • Global market will reach $52B by 2030 (6.5% CAGR) │
│ • DOOH will represent 65% of total OOH ad spend │
│ • Programmatic will account for 60% of DOOH transactions │
│ • Asia Pacific will surpass North America in market size │
│ │
│ OPERATIONAL PREDICTIONS │
│ │
│ • 90% cloud CMS adoption │
│ • Average deployment size: 35+ screens │
│ • Real-time data integration standard practice │
│ • Carbon-neutral operations required in EU │
│ │
│ EMERGING APPLICATIONS │
│ │
│ • Smart city integration acceleration │
│ • Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) signage │
│ • Personalized retail experiences (with privacy controls) │
│ • Immersive brand experiences combining digital & physical │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Investment Priorities
Where organizations plan to invest in the next 24 months:
| Investment Area | Priority Level | % Planning Investment |
|---|---|---|
| AI/ML capabilities | High | 58% |
| Content automation | High | 54% |
| Analytics & measurement | High | 52% |
| Display upgrades (4K+) | Medium | 47% |
| Interactive capabilities | Medium | 38% |
| DOOH monetization | Medium | 32% |
| Sustainability improvements | Medium | 45% |
| AR/VR integration | Low | 18% |
Methodology
Data Sources
This report synthesizes data from multiple sources:
| Source Type | Sample Size | Geography |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Survey | 2,847 respondents | Global |
| Vendor Data | 45 CMS providers | Global |
| Industry Associations | 12 organizations | Global |
| Financial Reports | 85 public companies | Global |
| Secondary Research | 200+ reports | Global |
Survey Demographics
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SURVEY RESPONDENT PROFILE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ BY ROLE │ BY COMPANY SIZE │
│ IT/Technology: 32% │ Enterprise (5000+): 28% │
│ Marketing: 24% │ Mid-market (500-4999): 34% │
│ Operations: 18% │ SMB (50-499): 26% │
│ Facilities: 14% │ Small (<50): 12% │
│ Executive: 12% │ │
│ │ │
│ BY INDUSTRY │ BY REGION │
│ Retail: 28% │ North America: 38% │
│ Corporate: 22% │ Europe: 28% │
│ Healthcare: 15% │ Asia Pacific: 24% │
│ Hospitality: 12% │ Other: 10% │
│ Transportation: 10% │ │
│ Other: 13% │ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Frequently Asked Questions
Next Steps
- ROI Calculator - Calculate your deployment ROI
- Vendor Selection Guide - Choose the right CMS
- Deployment Planning - Plan your implementation
- Business Case Template - Justify your investment
This report is published annually by MediaSignage, pioneers of digital signage technology since 2008. Data is compiled from industry surveys, vendor reports, and market research. For custom research or to participate in next year's survey, contact our research team.