Watchfire Introduces New Digital Billboard Innovations Focused on Lower Cost and Higher Revenue
DANVILLE, Ill. — July 8, 2026 — Watchfire announced a series of updates designed to help digital billboard operators reduce operating costs while increasing revenue and improving day-to-day efficiency.
“The challenge isn’t managing screens, it’s consistently filling them with paying advertisers,” said Kyle Dines, vice president of outdoor advertising at Watchfire. “Our focus is simple, help operators spend less and make more.”
Leading the announcement is Watchfire’s new energy-efficient digital billboard technology that reduces power consumption by as much as 30 percent. With energy representing one of the largest ongoing expenses in the industry, this provides an immediate and measurable opportunity to lower operating costs without compromising performance.
Watchfire has also focused on reducing the total cost of ownership by improving connectivity. Upgrades to cellular hardware, data plans, and customer support reduce monthly communication costs while improving network reliability and providing better visibility into display performance.
“Cellular costs can add up quickly across a network,” Dines said. “In many cases, we can help operators lower those costs while improving service and response times.”
Watchfire also continues to invest heavily in Ignite OA, their proprietary content management platform, which is included for the life of the display at no additional cost. Purpose-built for digital billboard operators, Ignite OA now offers direct, one-click connections to leading programmatic platforms, including Blip, Vistar, and Perion/Hivestack, giving operators access to a broader pool of advertisers and helping improve fill rates.
Ignite OA goes beyond scheduling content by giving operators tools to better sell and manage their advertising inventory. Rotary campaigns give advertisers market-wide reach through a single campaign that automatically rotates across multiple displays, maximizing inventory utilization, while simplifying campaign execution. Conditional content allows operators to deliver messages based on factors such as time of day, weather, or other real-world triggers, creating more relevant campaigns and higher-value advertising opportunities.
“These aren’t just features, they directly impact how operators sell and how much they can generate from each board,” Dines said.
Watchfire’s approach combines energy-efficient hardware, optimized connectivity, revenue-focused software, and hands-on support to help operators run more efficient and profitable digital networks.
“At the end of the day, if we can help our customers reduce costs, sell more effectively, and operate more efficiently, we’re doing our job,” Dines said.
For more information, visit watchfire.com.
About Watchfire
Watchfire designs and engineers the best-looking, most durable outdoor LED signs, indoor displays, digital billboards, and video scoreboards, which help businesses and organizations communicate effectively, increase visibility and drive growth. Headquartered in Danville, Ill., Watchfire has manufactured electric signs for over 90 years and LED signs since 1998, using meticulously sourced components from around the world. Watchfire has more than 70,000 LED signs in operation worldwide and has more digital billboard customers in the U.S. than any other brand. For information, visit watchfire.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Image caption: New enhancements to Watchfire’s Ignite OA platform give billboard operators more ways to sell inventory, automate campaigns, and connect with leading programmatic advertising platforms.
