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Digital billboard advertising

15896 B 2000214773 D48 Land on the North East Side of Victoria Road Stoke On Trent

A guide to understand more about advertising on digital billboards.


Our Go network of 450+ digital billboards is number one for reach in the UK.

A guide to digital billboard advertising

What is a digital billboard?

Digital billboards are large, computer-controlled displays that showcase images, text and dynamic content. Unlike traditional paper billboards, digital versions can be updated remotely or automatically, allowing for real-time changes. They are typically located along major roads, highways, and in busy urban areas to attract attention from both pedestrians and drivers.

Alight Media offers a growing network of premium D48 digital billboards across the UK. With cutting-edge LED technology and remote content management, Alight’s D48 billboards provide advertisers with the ability to launch or adapt campaigns quickly, respond to events or trends in real time, and deliver targeted, scheduled content throughout the day.

2276 Alight JD Sports D48 East Haydock Ln St Helens 1 1 1

How does advertising work on digital billboards?

Alight has a team of ops and content specialists who schedule campaigns using an online software that is connected to all the screens in our network. We schedule the campaign based on the objective which includes location(s), cost, share of voice, reach and impressions.

What is a D48 billboard?

A D48 billboard, short for Digital 48-sheet billboard, is a highly effective and widely used outdoor advertising format in the UK. A type of digital out-of-home (DOOH), D48s offer advertisers a modern, flexible, and impactful way to reach large audiences in high-traffic areas.

The term “48-sheet” refers to the traditional size standard in billboard advertising, and D48 is the digital alternative. Rather than displaying a static poster, a D48 uses an LED digital screen to show high-resolution creatives, and dynamic content such as real-time weather creatives.

This format is especially popular along major roads, in city centres, and near high-footfall retail locations. As the second-largest billboard size after spectaculars or large-format digital screens, D48s are a powerful tool for brands looking to make a bold statement.

15184 2000315339 D48 Magna Science Adventure Centre Sheffield Rd Rotherham 2 Offside Rotherham 3 1 1

What are the benefits of D48 billboards?

D48 billboard advertising offers a range of advantages:

High visibility: Positioned in premium roadside or city-centre locations, D48s attract thousands of impressions daily

Real time adaptability: Update campaigns instantly based on time of the day, weather, trending events or stock levels

Efficient campaign rollout: No print or physical installation required, allowing fast campaign launches and easy changes

Sustainable: Many digital billboards use energy-efficient LED lighting and reduce waste from paper and printing. At Alight, our digital billboards use 100% renewable energy

D48 billboard size and specifications

The “48” in D48 refers to the standard 48-sheet billboard size, which measures: 20 ft x 10 ft (approx. 6.1m x 3.05m).

For digital artwork, it’s important to design content specifically for the screen’s resolution:

  • Recommended resolution: 864 x 432 pixels
  • DPI (Dots Per Inch): 72 DPI
  • Creative tips: Use bold fonts, high contrast and vibrant colours for maximum impact. Limit text to ensure readability at a distance and allow for fast message absorption.
Digital billboard specifications

How do D48 billboards work?

D48 billboard’s function using a combination of high-brightness LED display panels and cloud-based content management systems. This allows advertisers to:

  • Remotely schedule and update content in real-time.
  • Display rotating ads every 6-10 seconds in a loop or schedule an impressions based campaign, increasing exposure across multiple brands or messaging.
  • Integrate data-driven creative that changes based on the time, traffic, temperature.
  • Deliver targeted messaging to specific audiences throughout the day (e.g. morning commuters vs. evening shoppers).

Because there’s no need for printed posters, campaigns can go live immediately - ideal for time-sensitive promotions or tactical marketing.

Explore our billboard locations

Where can you find D48 billboards?

D48s are strategically located to offer maximum exposure in high-traffic areas, including:

  • Major roads and motorways
  • Urban centres and business districts
  • Near retail parks and shopping centres
  • Near transport hubs such as train stations and airports
  • Near stadiums and sports grounds

Their placement ensures that campaigns benefit from both vehicular and pedestrian visibility, making them a great choice for national brands and local businesses looking to increase exposure.

To reach more people, faster than any other media channel. D48s are used to showcase, promote and direct people to a brands services.

Alight D48s are manufactured using British-sourced steelwork and aluminium to support LED screen cabinets that can be recycled at the end of its life.

We use local suppliers for concrete and plant/equipment whilst on site and our screens are built in a controlled environment to ensure consistent quality and maintainability.

The lifespan of a Digital 48-sheet LED screen is typically between 6 and 10 years. However, the structure and supporting steelwork is designed to last over 25 years.

Classic 48-sheet billboards are typically manufactured from timber and tin/aluminium and require regular maintenance to replace mouldings, structural parts and refresh aesthetics. These have a typical lifespan of 5 years.

Alight D48s are fitted with luminescence sensors that increase and reduce the brightness based on the levels of ambient light.

In brighter weather, our screens operate at a much higher brightness to ensure maximum visibility.

In darker weather, they are much dimmer, prolonging the life of the display and using less energy.

Our D48s adapt to the environment automatically.