Passive income from a screen in your shop — is it worth it?

In short: A screen in your shop is not effortless passive income, but it is a realistic side earning. The math: daily price of your screen × your share × days booked. We agree your share of net ad revenue per screen when we onboard it. You keep brand control and get paid 5 days after the campaign ends, by credit note. Your own TV runs our software for free.

What "passive income" actually means here

Let's kill the romantic version first: a screen on the wall does not make money in your sleep while you do nothing. What you get is a side earning from a surface you already own — the wall by the till, the corner in the waiting area, the spot behind the counter. The effort is low, not zero: mount it once, pair it once, then it mostly runs itself.

The honest difference from true passive income: your earnings depend directly on how many people walk past your screen. A café with 800 guests a day earns more than an office reception with 30 visitors. No trick, no projection — just foot traffic times advertiser demand.

The honest math — no monthly figure

We won't name a monthly figure, because nobody knows it in advance. The math is: daily price of your screen × your share × days booked. What it depends on:

• Traffic: How many people see your screen? A quiet shop sells harder than a full café.
• Waiting time in front of it: A screen by the till or in a waiting area sells better than one in a hallway.
• Demand: How often advertisers book your screen — that moves with location and season.

You get a share of the net ad revenue of every booking on your screen. We agree the rate per screen when we onboard it. No advertiser behind a slot means you earn nothing in that window — that is the honest part. But you also pay nothing extra: power for one screen is cents per day.

If you want a rough estimate of what a booking on a surface like yours costs, and therefore what stays with you, run it through the DOOH calculator.

How the money reaches you

The mechanics are simple, on purpose. Advertisers book ads from €2 — that is the per-campaign minimum, not a daily rate. When an ad runs on your screen, your share is calculated automatically. Payout comes 5 days after the campaign ends, by credit note, in euros, straight to your account.

No collections, no invoices to advertisers, no quarterly review with a man in a quarter-zip. The platform handles booking, billing and payment — you provide the surface and your guests' attention.

If you operate in Austria, a 5% advertising tax (Werbeabgabe) applies to ad revenue. It is calculated and included automatically, so you don't handle it yourself. Details are in DOOH and the advertising tax in Austria.

You keep control of your wall

The biggest fear up front: "What if ads run that don't fit my place?" Fair. So here is the rule: booked ads get at most 75% of screen time (the default ad share), you control the rest. You can show your own content (menu, offers, opening hours). Your own industry is blocked automatically, so no direct competitor advertises at your place; we block further industries for your screen as soon as you name them.

Every submitted ad is checked by an AI first; unclear cases get a look from a human. Rejected creatives come with a clear reason and can be re-uploaded for free. If something still doesn't fit, tell us. Your brand, your rules.

Where this works — and where it doesn't (yet)

Honesty about reach: adyoutiser is currently live in Vienna, Bratislava and Amstetten (Lower Austria), not all of Austria. The network has 20 screens (16 Vienna · 3 Bratislava · 1 Amstetten) — for example on Franz-Josefs-Kai near Schwedenplatz and on the Danube pier at Handelskai (Pier 01–09 and 12). We're looking for new partners in Vienna, Lower Austria and Bratislava. Which surfaces are live is on the Screens page.

As an operator in Vienna, Lower Austria or Bratislava you're early. That means fewer guaranteed bookings today, but you're part of a growing network rather than number 4,000 in a finished corporate inventory.

Is it worth it for you? An honest checklist

Don't round up. It tends to be worth it if you can tick these:

• Do you have real foot traffic? Below 100 people a day it stays tip-jar level.
• Do you have a visible wall? A surface guests look at anyway while waiting or queuing.
• Can you bring a screen? Your own TV or monitor runs our software for free — no device-rental contract. An optional Linux player is available for €249 net.
• Are you fine with fluctuation? Some months are stronger, some weaker. This is not a fixed salary.

Three yeses and it's a sensible add-on. A fuller side-by-side is in earning money with a screen in your shop.

How to start

The entry is deliberately short. Register as a partner, pair your screen, add your Stripe payout details — done. From then on ads run on your screen as they get booked, and your share lands in your account automatically.

The full details, setup flow and payout logic are on the partner page. If you'd rather calculate first what a typical surface generates in ad revenue, use the DOOH calculator.

FAQ

How much can I really earn with a screen in my shop?

Nobody can seriously name a monthly figure. The math is: daily price of your screen × your share × days booked. We agree your share of net ad revenue per screen when we onboard it. With no bookings you earn nothing in that window, but you pay nothing extra beyond minimal electricity.

Is this really passive income?

Not in the strict sense. You earn from a surface you already have, with minimal effort after mounting. But the earning depends directly on your foot traffic and on advertiser demand — it's a side earning, not a self-driving cash machine.

Do I have to buy the screen myself?

Yes, you bring the screen. A normal TV or monitor is enough, and our software runs on it for free. An optional Linux player is available for €249 net. You don't sign a device contract and you don't pay a monthly hardware rental fee.

Can I decide which ads run?

Yes. Booked ads get at most 75% of screen time, you fill the rest with your own content. An AI checks every ad, and a human looks at unclear cases. Your own industry is blocked automatically; we block further ones for your screen as soon as you name them.

When and how do I get paid?

Payout comes 5 days after the campaign ends, by credit note, in euros, straight to your account. Your share is calculated automatically per booking — without you writing any invoices to advertisers.

Do I have to deal with taxes and advertising tax?

In Austria a 5% advertising tax applies to ad revenue. It is calculated and included automatically, so you don't remit it yourself. In Slovakia there is no advertising tax. Your own income tax on the side earning is handled as usual with your accounting.

Does this work outside Vienna and Bratislava?

Currently adyoutiser is live in Vienna, Bratislava and Amstetten (Lower Austria). We're looking for partners in Vienna, Lower Austria and Bratislava. You can register earlier, but guaranteed bookings only come once there's enough advertiser demand in your region.

What if a month goes badly?

Then you earn less — there's no fixed salary. Ad revenue fluctuates with demand and season. In return you have no running costs beyond electricity and no risk: empty ad time costs you nothing, it just earns nothing in that window.