Sports scoreboards have matured into much more than just a way to let the fans know about the progress of a game they are watching. With the addition of newer LED technology the latest scoreboards can display all sorts of text about the game and the players. The newer sports scoreboards even have a digital LED display option available to broadcast pictures and video of the game, and this presents a wonderful opportunity for schools to generate additional revenue from advertisers by displaying their ads during a game.

Sports scoreboard and advertising have always gone together, and from the very beginning most schools would solicit funding for a new scoreboard from a group of sponsors who were usually local businessmen. These local businesses would in turn have their name and advertisement posted on the scoreboard for all the fans to see. This was a great arrangement since it allowed the school to get a new sports scoreboard and also helped the local businesses get exposure by advertising their business and supporting the school. These advertising billboards were usually mounted to the sports scoreboard as smaller signs that could be changed when needed.

With the advent of the newer generation of LED screens being added to scoreboards, schools and advertisers have taken this relationship to a completely new level. These newer sports scoreboards are actually turning into digital advertising billboards for the sponsors and can represent a new and continuing source of revenue for the school as well. Because these LED displays can now broadcast live action, the sponsors can run a full commercial instead of simply having a printed sign for the whole season that simply contains their name.

The major advantage with the LED displays is a that the school can now accommodate a larger group of sponsors and can change the advertisements that run more often. They can also tailor these ads for a particular game and even run different ads during different parts of the game. This is something that local advertisers find attractive because they can change their ad from week to week. Also, since the display enables the school to dynamically change the video ad, the advertisers can create an ad that promotes current products that they are looking to sell that month instead of having the same general ad all season.

Another thing that having the ability to display a wider variety of advertisements does is that it draws the interest of larger sponsors than just the local community. Even though these local businesses are important, having a national sponsor run their ads on a schools scoreboard can generate additional income for the school. National sponsors are very interested in promoting their products and can contribute substantial ad revenues to a school for running their ads on these LED advertising billboards. These national ads can be added to a games regular programming and guarantees the national sponsor exposure to a very targeted group of consumers. This is an extremely powerful draw for these advertisers who have products that these fans might be interested in, and it helps the school as well by providing an additional source of revenue from the ads.