Television in buses and trains is infotainment consisting of news, advertising, and current weather reports. Information about sports and culture is well received by passengers and forms the basis for attractive advertising. Several screens are installed in each carriage, so the program reaches every passenger, regardless of where they are standing or sitting. The systems hardly differ. If dual monitors are installed, one screen displays a chain of information from the transport company, while the other screen broadcasts infotainment. This keeps passengers’ attention high.
Where is passenger TV available?
Passenger television is available in Germany primarily in large cities such as Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart, but also in cities such as Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, and Nuremberg in subways, trams, and buses. As a rule, there is one screen for infotainment and one for advertising. One thing they all have in common is that the program runs without sound so that passengers are not disturbed or annoyed by noise.
Target groups to select
Public transport is particularly popular in metropolitan areas. The number of car owners in large cities has been declining for years. Congested roads, parking restrictions, and constantly rising maintenance costs are arguments against owning a car. In addition, the mobility study by the Federal Ministry of Transport states that mobility is increasing every year. People are spending more and more time outside their own four walls. Passenger television allows you to reach a mobile target group.
In all metropolitan areas, passengers tend to be slightly more female, slightly younger, and have a household income above the average for the city in question.
Some cities offer advertising for the next stop. This is an ideal advertising space for local businesses. “Get off at the next stop and go shopping.”
Booking according to time slots allows for even more efficient targeting of the target group. Shopping customers do not travel by train. Time slots from 10 a.m. onwards are therefore recommended. From 10 p.m. onwards, we mainly encounter young people.
Patronage bookings can also help to finalize the target group. Sports or book of the month divide passengers into sports-minded and/or culture-minded viewers.
The choice is yours.
How do I book passenger television?
The format is an MP4 file. The minimum length is 10 seconds, but we recommend 15 seconds. Passengers’ attention is subject to distractions. The person next to them might be tapping their foot, the train might stop or start again. Their eyes are not fixed undisturbed and spellbound on the monitors. That’s why the images and messages need to “stand” a little longer than in your own living room.
Bookings are made in days, time slots, and spot length. Depending on the city, the spot is broadcast in two- or three-hour cycles. The time slots represent different contact numbers and different prices per second. The rule of thumb is that more contacts and higher reach lead to higher prices per second, just like with TV formats from private and public broadcasters. A different time slot every day is no problem.
The last adjustment is the number of repetitions. The standard is around 8 repetitions per hour. For high advertising impact, we recommend doubling the number of repetitions.
Final note: The commercial must be submitted one week in advance for approval. Advertising in public spaces is subject to strict rules, but 98% of advertisers comply with them without any problems. Strict rules apply to sexist, political, and religious statements.
Here is our example of the month on the topic of AIDS (Jauary 2026):