The number of connected digital signage displays will reach 129.4 million units in 2024
Digital signage is an ambiguous term used in reference to a wide range of solutions for presenting media and information on digital displays. There is no universally accepted definition on what the term encompasses, but it generally includes a broad range of solutions as diverse as traffic signs, menu boards and in-flight entertainment displays. Berg Insight¡¯s definition is a system that comprises a connected display screen, a media player and a content management system that are managed over a local network or remotely. Systems that require manual intervention, such as swapping an SD card in the media player to load new content, are left outside of the scope of this report.
The first connected digital signage solutions were commercially launched about three decades ago. Since then, digital signage solutions have found their way into nearly every possible vertical market and a wide variety of application areas. The untapped potential is still vast and the industry is expected to continue to experience strong annual growth rates in the coming years. Berg Insight forecasts that global shipments of display screens for digital signage will grow from 17.2 million units in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8 percent to reach 32.8 million units by 2024. The number of digital signage displays in active use is at the same time estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.2 percent during the next five years from 63.8 million units in 2019 to 129.4 million units in 2024.
Leading providers of digital signage solutions include CMS software providers such as Scala (owned by STRATACACHE) as well as Four Winds Interactive and Signagelive; media player vendors such as BrightSign, AOPEN and IAdea; and display manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Panasonic as well as NEC Display Solutions (majority-owned by Sharp). Despite many well-known vendors active in the market, the value chain is still fragmented and hundreds of companies compete worldwide. Industry consolidation has however intensified with numerous high-profile M&As in recent years. Berg Insight anticipates that market developments will accelerate in the coming years and increase the legitimacy of digital signage as a central platform for digital marketing.