Top 12 Stunning 3D Billboards and Advertising Costs in Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial hub in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Many residents of New York enjoy visiting Times Square for shopping and leisure. Contrary to popular belief, Times Square is not actually a square but is shaped more like a “bowtie.”

When we pass by Times Square daily, we can see numerous LED billboards of various sizes continuously displaying a variety of advertisements. The most eye-catching among them is undoubtedly the 3D billboards of Times Square.

As one of the busiest pedestrian areas in the world and a significant entertainment hub, Times Square’s LED screens display a vast amount of information daily, including news, advertisements, weather forecasts, and more.

Traditional digital displays are something we encounter every day, and thus they tend to be less captivating. However, a giant 3D effect can offer a novel experience each time. Now, let’s look at the eleven most notable 3D billboards in Times Square.

Twelve Most Notable 3D Billboards in Times Square

As the most important commercial center and the location with the highest number of LED screens in New York, Times Square features countless advertisements daily. Among these, a few classic examples are particularly unforgettable.

3D Coca-Cola Billboard

This is a giant screen display about 21 meters high and 13 meters wide created by Coca-Cola. It is also the first time that Coca-Cola has replaced the billboard in Times Square since 2004.

By manipulating 1,760 moving LED display columns, a special visual sense of smooth screen flow can be achieved.

This huge 3D billboard not only brings a huge visual impact, but also won two Guinness World Records for “the largest 3D robot billboard” and “the first 3D robot billboard”.

House of the Dragon 3D Billboard By HBO

As the highly anticipated prequel to “Game of Thrones”, “House of the Dragon” has brought fans very high expectations. By telling the rise and fall of the Targaryen family, fans are immersed in it and won several awards.

In order to better promote the film. Before the release of “House of the Dragon”, HBO specially produced a 3D advertising promotional film to be played on the 3D LED display in Times Square. We can see a giant dragon on the 3D screen, constantly spitting fire at passers-by, thus achieving the best publicity effect.

Netflix’s Resident Evil 3D Billboard

This is a promotional advertisement made by Netflix for “Resident Evil” to be released in 2022. We can see from the picture above that a strange creature seems to be trying to break free from the glass captivity, which is shocking.

Due to the strange visual effects, when it was put on YouTube, it gained 900,000 viewers in just 4 days.

Dragon Ball Super 3D Billboard

This is a promotional advertisement made by Netflix for “Resident Evil” to be released in 2022. We can see from the picture above that a strange creature seems to be trying to break free from the glass captivity, which is shocking.

Due to the strange visual effects, when it was put on YouTube, it gained 900,000 viewers in just 4 days.

Star Wars 3D Billboard

Like other popular movies, “Star Wars” also featured a 3D billboard in Times Square. This display highlighted key moments from the film to heighten audience anticipation.

BMW i4 M50 3D billboard by Kith in Times Square

In November 2022, the BMW I4 M50 was advertised on a 3D billboard in Times Square, New York. It started with the BMW 1620 Elektro in 1972, and after many improvements, it finally formed the current BMW i4 M50.

The BMW i4 M50 was redesigned by the famous designer Ronnie Fieg. Its unique shape shows its amazing shape to the audience from multiple different angles.

Tiger 3D Billboard

In 2022, a lifelike tiger appeared on a Times Square 3D billboard, roaring at pedestrians and attempting to break free from its “cage.” This startling effect was enhanced by text proclaiming “Break the Rules.”

Lion 3D Billboard

Lions and tigers are both huge beasts that people are afraid of. Since the tiger made before achieved a very good bluffing effect, the production team made another lion this time.

Similar to the tiger, the lion is also like being trapped in glass, jumping up and down inside, trying to break the “virtual glass” and escape.

3D billboard by Balenciaga and Fornite

This is a project jointly cooperated by Balenciaga and Fortnite, featuring the peculiar “Doggo”, showing people a comfortable and casual fashion advertisement.

Doggo in Fortnite wears Balenciaga’s clothes and is displayed in front of everyone, giving people a funny and humorous feeling, which makes people impressive.

Ray-Ban 3D Billboard

Ray-Ban is a world-famous sunglass brand. In order to launch a new series of parasols, they put up a 3D billboard in Times Square, New York. It appeared in Times Square, New York, giving people a very novel perspective, thus providing people with very good ideas.

Because the location itself is a traffic center, the special geographical location brings a lot of traffic and attention, becoming a good start for advertising.

Spider-Man 3D Billboard

Spider-Man, as the hero of the Justice League, is also a very popular character. Therefore, if advertising is placed in a commercial center with huge traffic, it will naturally cause a great response.

From the streets of Times Square in New York, we can see a huge Spider-Man moving around, which I believe can bring people a different feeling.

From some of the classic cases above, we can see that Times Square in New York has some very classic images, such as Spider-Man, tigers, lions, BMW cars, etc. Some people may be curious about Times Square of billboard prices.

Hypersloths 3D Digital Billboard

A cute and funny hypersloth appeared on the screen of New York Times Square, giving people a wonderful feeling.This was created by Israeli 3D artist Yevgeny Krachak, who has worked with many well-known brands such as Disney, Nissan and Google.

Costs of Advertising on Times Square’s Billboards

To understand the costs associated with advertising in Times Square, we consulted several vendors and compiled a price list for reference. Most vendors charge on a per-day basis. Although the prices are relatively high, the enormous exposure these screens provide is invaluable, making the investment worthwhile.

From the above price list of outdoor large screens in Times Square in New York, most channel providers charge by day. Although the price is relatively not cheap, it is difficult to estimate the value of these huge screens, which can generate huge exposure. It can be said that it is definitely worth the money.

Of course, since Times Square is so large, the price list above only lists the prices of some screen providers. There are other very famous billboards in Times Square, but the prices are slightly lower. Let’s take a brief look at their prices.

Midtown Financial (MiFi)

Midtown Financial (MiFi for short) is 22 stories high and is located next to 1 Times Square. It is the venue for the famous New Year’s Eve Ball. It consists of 2 high-definition LED screens and the most advanced technology, which can achieve high-definition dynamic video, simulcast activities and other screen playback.

You can freely choose to calculate the fee by day or week. If it is calculated by day, the price varies slightly according to the number of playbacks. The lowest is 24 minutes of non-continuous playback within 24 hours in 1 day (that is, only 1 minute of playback in 1 hour within 24 hours, and 24 minutes of playback in 24 hours), and the price is $12,500.

The Beast

It is located directly above the McDonald’s restaurant in the center of Times Square at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It is seven stories high and is watched by more than 350,000 viewers every day. It can play various 4K video ads. The price is about $470/hour (minimum booking time is no less than 4 hours).

Bryant Park

Located between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, it occupies a busy area between Bryant Park and Times Square, with a flow of people comparable to The Beast. You can book it for only $54/hour (minimum 10 hours/100 plays).

Of course, the above price is only the price for outdoor advertising on the Times Square screen. If you want to achieve that kind of 3D effect billboard, then you will also need to spend a lot of money to make wonderful 3D materials for playback. The price of 3D materials varies according to the length, production difficulty, etc., and the final price is also different. You can consult the relevant 3D material production company for details.

In addition, in addition to these well-known screen prices, there are some screens that are also in Times Square, but because they are not so famous, their prices are obviously much lower. You only need to pay 275 yuan to upload a video to show a 15-second exclusive video in Times Square.

It is precisely because of such a low price that last year (2023), there was a wave of “being on the New York Times Square screen” on many social media in mainland China. Many Internet celebrities, celebrity fans, and various mainland China-related commercial advertisements were displayed on the screen.

For this reason, many screen providers have targeted the Chinese market and specially opened up relevant channels. The most well-known one is the TSX screen. In order to meet the needs of Chinese people more conveniently and quickly, you can even search for the TSX APP directly in the Chinese app store. In the future, you only need to pay to upload the video, and you can directly project the screen without middlemen to earn the price difference.

In summary, advertising on Times Square’s billboards offers significant exposure, making it a valuable investment despite the costs. This comprehensive guide should provide a thorough understanding of advertising opportunities in Times Square.