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OOH Impression Calculation Guide

This guide explains how Lucit estimates digital billboard impressions when a player system does not send real-time impression counts for every play or hour.

For most screens, Lucit uses the screen's average daily impressions to estimate how many impressions each play generates.

If your digital signage software sends real-time impressions for every play or hourly impression counts, this estimation model does not apply.

Quick Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate:

  • Average daily impressions from a weekly number
  • Impressions per play
  • Total campaign impressions
  • Total time on screen

If a weekly value is provided, the calculator uses weekly impressions / 7 as the average daily impressions.

Definitions

  • Play: A single display event where your creative appears on screen for the allotted slot length.
  • Slot Length: How long each ad appears on screen before the player rotates to the next ad. On many screens this is typically between 7 and 15 seconds.
  • Average Daily Impressions: The total number of audience impressions the screen receives in an average day.
  • Weekly Impressions: If you only have a weekly audience number, divide it by 7 to get average daily impressions.
  • 86,400: The total number of seconds in one day: 24 × 60 × 60.
  • Time On Screen: The total amount of time your ad was visible on screen.

Step 1: Calculate Average Daily Impressions

If you already have an average daily impressions value for the screen, use it directly.

If you only have a weekly impressions value, convert it first:

Average Daily Impressions = Weekly Impressions / 7

Example:

364,000 / 7 = 52,000 average daily impressions

Step 2: Calculate Impressions Per Play

Once you know the screen's average daily impressions and slot length, calculate the estimated number of impressions for one play:

Impressions Per Play = (Average Daily Impressions / 86,400) × Slot Length

Using the example values from the Lucit article:

  • Average Daily Impressions: 52,000
  • Slot Length: 8 seconds
(52,000 / 86,400) × 8 = 4.81 impressions per play

Step 3: Calculate Total Impressions

After you know the impressions generated by one play, multiply that number by the total number of plays in the campaign:

Total Impressions = Total Plays × Impressions Per Play

If a campaign received 40,000 plays:

40,000 × 4.81 ≈ 192,000 impressions

Because this method is based on averages, the result is an estimate rather than an exact audience census.

Step 4: Calculate Time On Screen

Time on screen is a separate but useful delivery metric. It tells you how long your creative was actually visible across all plays.

Time On Screen = Total Plays × Slot Length

Using the same example:

40,000 × 8 = 320,000 seconds

Converted to hours:

320,000 seconds = 88 hours, 53 minutes, 20 seconds

Full Example

Here is the full flow using the article's sample numbers:

  1. Average Daily Impressions: 52,000
  2. Slot Length: 8 seconds
  3. Impressions Per Play: (52,000 / 86,400) × 8 = 4.81
  4. Total Plays: 40,000
  5. Total Impressions: 40,000 × 4.81 ≈ 192,000
  6. Time On Screen: 40,000 × 8 = 320,000 seconds

When To Use This Formula

Use this method when:

  • Your player or CMS reports plays but not real-time impressions
  • You have an audited or estimated average daily impressions value for the screen
  • You want a consistent estimate for campaign delivery forecasting or reporting

Do not use this method when:

  • Your player integration already sends real-time impression counts per play or per hour
  • You are reconciling against a separate audited impression source that uses a different methodology