Barcelona | Moderate growth is expected for 2025. However, like the global economy, the digital signage industry still faces many uncertainties.
Shortly before ISE, US President Donald Trump took decisive action by imposing punitive tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. This move signaled a new era of potential trade wars, which could have lasting effects on the digital signage market.
However, as we explained in our keynote at Digital Signage Summit ISE, punitive tariffs and trade wars are just one factor in how the US’s new direction could impact the digital signage industry. “Trump 2.0” includes various threats and opportunities that align with trends in the digital signage sector.
- Trade wars and punitive tariffs: massive disruption of global supply chains
- Green signage: climate protection deregulation is slowing down the development of low-energy digital signage technologies
- Migration: Stricter immigration restrictions are creating new conditions on the labor market
- AI deregulation: The US government’s plan to invest heavily in AI and reduce regulations is accelerating the AI race
- Anti-trust laws: Easing of M&A activities – which will have a direct impact on the industry
M&A temperature soars
For the latter parameter, the beginning of 2025 was already a sign of where things are heading: the market recorded extremely high M&A activity. Five major acquisitions were announced in January alone, including three in the DooH sector.
The three major acquisitions in January:
- Bauer Media Group acquired Clear Channel Northern Europe.
- Ströer confirmed plans to sell.
- T-Mobile acquired Vistar Media.
- Investor Maguar took over Navori.
- Trison acquired Zero-In.
We expect the momentum to continue, with more consolidation ahead. New investors, who have not previously focused on the digital signage industry, are entering the market. The goal of these M&A activities is to transform regional leaders into global players.
The LED tipping point
In terms of hardware sales, the past year met expectations, even reaching the upper end of forecasts. The Futuresource market survey indicated single-digit growth for large-format displays in 2024.

The EMEA region saw slight growth, though price pressure is evident in Europe, with more units sold at lower prices. Growth was driven by the MENA region and Eastern Europe, while Southern and Western Europe faced challenges. Germany is positioned in the middle.
It becomes particularly interesting when comparing all digital signage technologies: According to Futuresource’s analysis, the tipping point between LED and LCD has already been reached. Market researchers predict that LED will make up half of the entire visual solutions market by 2028.

Everything remains volatile
The Digital Signage Business Climate Index (DBCI) from invidis shows a general improvement in sentiment. We are observing a positive market trend with growth in the upper single-digit percentage range.
However, there is a widening gap between winners and losers. Similar to global politics, the digital signage market remains highly volatile. While we believe the era of zero growth is over for now, all predictions carry high risks and should be approached with caution.