Pub digital signage: what it is, what it costs and what to look for
A plain guide to digital signage for pubs: what it means, the cheap and not-so-cheap ways to do it, what to show, the price traps, the advertising and licence rules, and a checklist before you sign up to anything.
"Digital signage" sounds like something for airports and shopping centres. In a pub it just means using screens to show your own messages: tonight's quiz, Sunday dinner, the match times, the Christmas menu. Most pubs already have the screens. They're the TVs that sit there doing nothing much when the football isn't on.
Here's what pub signage involves, what it costs, and what to look for.
Why bother?
Your TVs are in front of every customer, every day. A poster on the toilet door gets a glance. A screen above the bar gets looked at every time someone waits for a drink. That makes it one of the best places in the pub to tell people what's coming up.
But only if what's on it is worth reading. A screen showing "No signal" or a slide nobody can read from their seat does more harm than good.
The ways to do it
A USB stick in the TV
Put some images on a USB stick and play them as a slideshow. It costs almost nothing. But every change means taking the stick out, and you can't schedule slides by time of day.
An old laptop or a streaming stick
A laptop plugged into the TV with an HDMI lead, or a streaming stick with a web browser, can show a slideshow or a web page. Cheap, and you can update it more easily. Our guide on how to put a web page on a pub TV shows how.
Signage software
Software built for screens lets you schedule slides by day and time, update every screen from one place, and sometimes see what played when. Some is built for shops and offices, not pubs. Some is built for pubs, with quizzes and match-day screens included.
We compared these options in more detail, with costs, in cheap ways to put your offers on your pub TVs.
What to show
- Your own offers, timed to when they matter. Sunday dinner on Saturday and Sunday. The quiz on the days before quiz night. Lunch offers before noon.
- What's on. This week's events and match fixtures.
- Countdowns to your big nights: Christmas, Halloween, the opening game.
- Something to join in with. A quiz people answer on their phones gives them a reason to keep looking up.
- Calls to action. "Scan to join our list." "Book Christmas at the bar."
Keep it to one message per slide, with big text that's readable from the furthest seat. Our post on what to put on your pub TVs goes into more detail.
The price traps
- Per screen or per pub. Many systems charge per screen. Four screens at a per-screen price adds up fast. Ask for a price for every screen you've got, inside and out.
- Kit you have to buy. Some need a special box or player for each screen. Others work on the TVs and sticks you already have.
- Contracts. Ask about the minimum term, the notice to cancel, and whether the price goes up after year one. Get it in writing.
- Setup fees. Fine if it saves you time. Ask what you get for it.
The starting prices we've seen are about £60 a month + VAT for quiz-only systems and about £130 a month for all-in-one screen systems.
The rules to know
TV Licence
TV Licensing says a pub that shows live television must have a valid TV Licence. If a screen only ever shows your own slides and never live TV, it's worth checking the TV Licensing website for whether you need one. Most pubs showing sport will have one anyway.
Alcohol adverts
Your drinks offers on screen are marketing, and the advertising rules in the CAP Code apply. Among other things, the Code says alcohol marketing "must not claim or imply that alcohol can enhance confidence or popularity", must not be "likely to appeal particularly to people under 18", and promotions "must not imply, condone or encourage excessive consumption of alcohol". Keep drinks slides simple and sensible.
Music on the screens
If your screens show music videos, or you play music with them, you'll usually need TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. Silent screens avoid that question for the screen itself, but check your licence covers how you use your TVs.
Other people's content
Clips, photos and videos you didn't make may belong to someone else. GOV.UK says copyright "stops others from using it without your permission". Use your own photos, or content you've got permission to show.
A checklist before you sign up
- Does it work on the TVs I've already got?
- Is the price per pub or per screen?
- Can I schedule slides by day and time?
- Can I change everything from my phone?
- Will it tell me if a screen stops working?
- Can it show a quiz or game, not just slides?
- Does it switch over for the match?
- What's the contract, and how do I cancel?
How StockTap TV helps
At Teal Farm, our TVs run our own offers on a timed loop, set by day and hour, with every ad play counted, a scan counter on every QR code and a text to us if a screen stops. Between offers, our Quick Fire phone quiz runs every 20 minutes. On match days the screens show fixtures, league tables and a 3pm round-up and live scores. The match-day screens are live at Teal Farm and coming to founding pubs. It runs on any screen with a web browser that can get online, and it's £34 a month for the whole pub, not per screen. See what's in it, see pricing, or join the founding pubs.
Frequently asked questions
What is digital signage in a pub?
Using your screens to show your own messages, like offers, events, fixtures and games, instead of leaving them blank or on a channel nobody is watching.
How much does pub digital signage cost?
Anything from almost nothing (a USB stick in the TV) to a monthly fee for software. Check whether the price is per screen or for the whole pub, and whether you need to buy extra kit.
Do I need a TV Licence for digital signage?
You need one if you show live TV. If a screen only shows your own slides, check the TV Licensing website for your situation.
Can I advertise drinks offers on my pub TVs?
Yes, but the CAP Code's alcohol rules apply. Don't suggest drinking makes people popular, don't appeal to under-18s, and don't encourage excessive drinking.
Sources
- TV Licensing: Pub landlords urged to check TV Licences
- TV Licensing: Check if you need a TV Licence
- ASA and CAP: The CAP Code, section 18: Alcohol
- PPL PRS: TheMusicLicence for pubs and bars
- GOV.UK: How copyright protects your work
We checked every source on 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.