How To Use a TV as a Business Message Board

Key Takeaways: Using TVs for Business Digital Signage

• Businesses nationwide are replacing sticky notes and email-heavy communication with centralized digital signage displays powered by TVs.
• Both smart TVs and commercial-grade displays can be used for business message boards with the right digital signage software.
• Reliable high-speed internet (250 Mbps+ recommended) and secure network configuration are essential for performance and security.
• Digital signage software allows businesses to manage announcements, schedules, promotions, and alerts across single or multiple locations.
• Commercial digital signage solutions improve internal communication, customer engagement, and operational efficiency.
• Nationwide providers like Groove Technology Solutions offer managed digital signage, digital infrastructure, and smart building integration services.

Why TVs Make Ideal Digital Message Boards for Your Business

The recipe for communications in most business premises includes many sticky notes, unnecessary meetings, and long email threads. Important updates get buried in inboxes, frontline employees miss critical announcements, and customers often overlook printed signage. However, technological advancements in business communications and commercial digital signage mean we’re gradually leaving that chaotic approach behind.

Modern organizations require centralized, real-time communication tools that are visible, consistent, and easy to manage across departments or multiple locations. Centralized digital business message boards, often powered by TVs or commercial digital signage displays, are becoming increasingly popular as part of broader enterprise communication solutions.

By transforming a standard TV into a digital signage display, businesses can share announcements, schedules, promotions, safety messaging, and live updates in a dynamic, highly visible format. Instead of relying on fragmented communication channels, companies can streamline internal messaging, improve employee engagement, and create a more connected workplace environment with scalable digital signage solutions.

How to use a TV as a business message board:

1. Choose the right TV.
2. Source the internet connection to the TV.
3. Choose your preferred digital signage software.
4. Pair your TV with the digital message content management system.

The rest of the article will expand on the tips above and cover all you need to know about converting your TV to a business message board.

1. Choosing the Right TV

You probably have multiple TVs in your business premises right now, and you’re already earmarking a few to be used as your business message board (s). The main factors to consider when looking at the right TV to choose are the technical specifications, the size, and the compatibility with your digital signage software. A Smart TV will allow direct installation of a media player or a digital signage player and connect to the internet without third-party solutions.

On the other hand, a standard (non-smart) TV will require an external digital media player, such as commercial-grade Android players, BrightSign, Amazon Fire TV devices, or managed digital signage hardware. Your choice of TV should also be large enough to ensure people can see the messages displayed at a glance. You should choose the TV size based on the room dimensions. If the distance between the TV and people in the room walking by or sitting is at least six feet (1.82 m), the TV should be at least 43 inches (109 cm). If the distance is 10-12 feet (3-3.65 m), the TV should be around 70-85 inches (177-215 cm).

Commercial Displays vs. Consumer TVs

While standard consumer TVs can work for small internal deployments, commercial-grade digital signage displays are built for continuous operation, higher brightness levels, remote device management, and longer warranties. Businesses operating 12–24 hours per day should strongly consider commercial displays to maximize lifespan and ROI.

2. Sort the Internet Connection to the TV

You can’t use a TV as a business message board without an internet connection. You’ll need excellent Wi-Fi to make the system work—especially if you have a 4K TV and intend to display messages in 4K quality. While setting up the system, you need to ensure that adding a 4K message board won’t negatively affect overall connectivity in the business environment. For example, if you have a 25 Mbps router and intend to use it to stream digital messages while other devices are running on the same network, it may cause significant strain and make it harder for employees to get stuff done. In that scenario, you’ll need faster Wi-Fi.

In today’s business environments, we recommend a minimum of 250–500 Mbps for locations running digital signage alongside guest Wi-Fi, VoIP, security systems, and cloud-based applications. For multi-screen 4K deployments, gigabit internet is ideal. The best business-grade routers feature dual-band or tri-band Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, VLAN support, and Quality of Service (QoS) controls to prioritize signage traffic without affecting business operations. To connect your smart TV to the internet, you only need to turn it on and go to the connection settings from the menu, input your Wi-Fi data in the right fields, and the TV should be connected to the web. The process is slightly different for non-smart TVs that require third-party media players to work. Plug your chosen media player into your TV’s HDMI port and navigate the player’s settings using the remote. Select the “Connection” or “Network” option and choose your Wi-Fi. Hooking up the TV to the internet is a one-time thing—at least until you change your router password.

3. Choose Your Preferred Digital Signage Software

With your TV connected to the internet, all you need to do is download and install your preferred digital signage software application. The software will control the display on your TV. The best ones have broad support for the popular TV operating systems. However, you may also use a conventional media player instead of paying for signage software. Some media players will allow you to broadcast pictures or video messages to screens sharing the same Wi-Fi network as the source device (the computer controlling the messages). Functions such as message scheduling and compartmentalization may be missing, though.

Security should also be a priority. Digital signage devices should be placed on a segmented network or VLAN to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive business systems.

4. Pair Your TV With the Digital Message Management System

Connecting your TV to the digital message management system is as simple as using the digital signage software or media player on the source device to find the TV or external media player. You’ll typically have to look at the “Casting” settings or similar, depending on your device model. If you’re using digital signage software as your message management system, you’ll have a streamlined dashboard of all published and scheduled messages. Some of them allow you to sync messages to and from cloud servers, allowing you to control the messages displayed on the TVs from anywhere in the world.

Many businesses now choose managed digital signage services, allowing IT teams or third-party providers to monitor device health, push updates, and troubleshoot issues remotely.

Pros and Cons of Using TV for Commercial Display Solutions

Pros

• TVs are readily available with many models to choose from.
• They are affordable, with so many models under $300.

Cons

• Most TVs require digital signage software or a media player to function as a centralized business message board.
• They won’t fit outdoors under harsh weather conditions.

What Type of Messages Can You Display?

There’s no limit to the kind of messages you can display on a TV used as a business message board. If the message is relevant and your source device can process the message format, it will appear on the screen. Some of the message formats you can display include the following:

• Full-screen slideshows. From PowerPoint slides to standard JPEGS slideshows from a photo app, you can transform your messages into attractive slideshows that will communicate to the viewers in a fun way.
• Scrolling tickers. You can maintain a scrolling ticker of important announcements all day for your staff and customers. This feature may only be possible on digital signage software.
• Weather or traffic reports. You can show a 5-day forecast in-between important messages.
• Business schedules. Displaying full calendars, meeting listings and daily schedules on the TV is a sure way to ensure all relevant parties stay informed.
• Training videos. You can make a playlist of important company videos to share with the audience.
• Internal memos. It’s easy to waste hours on pointless emails per week. Displaying internal memos on a TV business message board gives your audience one less reason to get lost in their inbox.

The Power of Commercial Digital Signage for Your Business

A TV in a business environment doesn’t have to stay hooked to muted CNN or MSNBC. You can convert it to a powerful communication tool that will help streamline your internal correspondence.

Looking for a secure, scalable digital signage solution for your business? Groove Technology Solutions provides nationwide managed services, digital infrastructure, access and security integration, and smart building technology—including commercial digital signage deployments. Contact us today to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions About TV-Based Digital Signage