Beyond Times Square: Reaching NYC and Tri-State Audiences with Billboard Advertising

Beyond Times Square: Why NYC Billboard Campaign Requires a Broader Strategy

Times Square is one of the most iconic advertising destinations in the world, but it's just one piece of a much larger New York media landscape. To effectively reach the millions who live in, work in, and commute through New York City, brands need to look beyond Midtown and consider the full scale of the Tri-State area.

Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) offers a strategic, full-market approach to out-of-home (OOH) advertising across all five boroughs and Northern New Jersey. If your campaign only touches Times Square, you're missing the majority of your audience.

The Commuting Reality: It's Not All Subways

There’s a common misconception that most New Yorkers get around solely by subway. In reality, 71% of New Yorkers drive each week, and of those, 87% travel on roads where CCO has billboard inventory.

That includes commuters from boroughs like Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, as well as travelers coming in from Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Over 335 million vehicles move across the 21 bridges and 15 tunnels connecting the Tri-State area to Manhattan each week.

And with New York ranking as the #1 city for traffic congestion, roadside billboards become even more valuable. Average peak speeds in Manhattan are just 15 mph, giving your message longer exposure during daily commutes.

Meet the Boroughs: Scale Bigger Than You Think

New York's outer boroughs aren’t just neighborhoods, they’re the size of major U.S. cities:

These are dense, high-volume markets in their own right, and advertisers should treat them that way. CCO helps brands connect with these borough audiences through targeted placements along major thoroughfares and commuter corridors.

Reaching NYC at Scale: The Empire Digital Billboard Network

To help brands move with New Yorkers, CCO built the Empire Digital Billboard Network, a connected group of high-impact digital displays placed along NYC’s busiest roadways. These include:

Nearly 60% of NYC residents drive on roads where this network runs, ensuring consistent visibility in high-density traffic areas. But NYC residents aren’t the only ones utilizing the roadways. Droves of commuters originating from Long Island, Connecticut, Lower Hudson Valley and New Jersey make up a huge part of the 335 million cars traveling into and around Manhattan each week. This network is a strategic solution for brands looking to scale campaigns across neighborhoods, boroughs, and travel routes.

Don’t Overlook Northern New Jersey

New York’s media market doesn’t end at the Hudson. Northern New Jersey accounts for 45% of the counties in the New York DMA and reaches over 5.5 million adults aged 18+. While you may think that most Northern New Jersey residents work in Manhattan, 89% work in-state or another location outside of New York City. This means roadside OOH in New Jersey plays a critical role in capturing attention where it’s most relevant.

CCO offers extensive coverage in this region, with:

The Takeaway: Expand Your NYC Strategy

If your campaign strategy stops at Times Square or Manhattan, you're leaving reach and results on the table. The Tri-State area is one of the most mobile, high-density regions in the country. By expanding into the boroughs and Northern New Jersey, your brand can connect with real New Yorkers where they actually live, work, and drive.

Whether you’re launching a new product, promoting a local event, or building long-term visibility, Clear Channel Outdoor helps you scale across the region with data-informed OOH placements that move with your audience.

_{Source: Scarborough, 2024; Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 2023; INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, 2024; 2024 US Census Estimates}