Digital signage has become cheaper in the past 12 months, according to the findings of a new study conducted by WireSpring’s Digital Signage Insider blog.

"We’ve been publishing digital signage cost estimates since 2004, so this year we wanted to get a broader sampling of what people think the products should cost," said Bill Gerba, WireSpring CEO and Senior Writer for the Digital Signage Insider. "The survey results confirmed that digital signage is more affordable than ever before. In fact, the cost of implementing a 100-screen network has dropped nearly 23% in the past year and nearly 50% since 2004." 

Based on a fairly typical, 100-screen network, the total cost of each digital sign is $4,355. This includes 3 years of service fees, but excludes related costs such as the personnel who manage the content.

Other key findings from the report:

• Nearly 80% of those working with large digital signage networks (100 screens or more) handle their content management in-house, versus 74% of small networks.
• Installation was the service most likely to be outsourced, while project planning was the service most likely to be handled by in-house staff.
• Small network managers were much more likely to handle installation services themselves (with 30% doing so). Only 20% of large network managers handled such tasks in-house.

The survey is available as a free download here.