Digital Signage for Pubs and Bars — Sports Screens, Menus, and Promotions

Digital Screens in Licensed Premises

A pub or bar typically runs multiple screens — sports screens, a bar menu board, a promotions screen, and perhaps a specials board. Managing these coherently, keeping menus current, and scheduling the right content at the right time are significant operational challenges without a digital signage platform.

Sports Broadcasting Screens

For pubs with sports broadcasting rights, the main screens show live sport. The Alliance manages the non-sport time:

Pre-match content (team stats, pub promotions)
Half-time and interval content (pub specials, upcoming fixtures, live music events)
Post-match (highlight reaction, upcoming fixtures)
Non-match days (all screens show promotional content)

The Alliance’s interrupt system can override promotional playlists when a fixture is about to start, returning to promotional content in the break and after the match.

A bar menu board needs to show your drinks range clearly and attractively. Best practices for licensed premises:

Beer and ale — Tap count and name, style, ABV, price. Photography or illustrated beer art for craft ales.

Cocktail menu — Colourful photography or illustrated icons. Seasonal specials highlighted. Happy hour pricing visible at a glance.

Wine list — House wines prominently, premium selection with brief notes.

Soft drinks and mixers — Don’t neglect the non-drinkers. Mocktails and premium soft drinks deserve their own section.

Allergen awareness — The requirement to display allergen information applies to bars serving food and mixed drinks.

Happy Hour and Promotions

Time-based promotions are ideal for digital signage scheduling:

Happy hour content displays automatically from 17:00 to 19:00
After 21:00, switch to late-night cocktail promotions
Weekend lunch menu displays Saturday–Sunday 12:00–15:00

No staff member needs to change anything — the schedule runs automatically.

Event Promotion

Live music, quiz nights, comedy, charity events, and private hire are significant revenue drivers. A screen in the pub window and in the bar promotes these continuously:

Upcoming events calendar
Headline act and event photography
Ticket link / booking QR code
Countdown to the next event

Exterior Screens

A screen visible through the pub window — particularly one showing what sport is on tonight or promoting a special event — drives footfall. High-brightness displays (700+ nits) are needed for daylight readability.

A well-designed exterior screen showing “Live: Premier League today, 3pm and 5pm” attracts sports fans who might otherwise walk past.

Age Verification

Challenge 25 notices displayed on screens near the bar reinforce the policy and demonstrate compliance. The Alliance’s age verification template includes the required Challenge 25 wording and can be scheduled to run at appropriate intervals throughout the playlist.

Responsible Service

Drinkaware messaging and responsible drinking information displayed periodically on bar screens demonstrates the licensee’s commitment to responsible service and can support the licence renewal process.

Customer Communication

Digital screens in the pub handle communication that would otherwise require printed notices:

Last orders announcement (animated countdown)
Change of hours for bank holidays
Pre-booking required for dining (holiday periods)
Wi-Fi password
Contactless payment availability