New report highlights how LinkNYC has supported community businesses since 2017 with $16.7 million in free ads which earned nearly 800 million impressions across New York City.

LinkNYC has directly contributed a cumulative total of $560 million in labor income and over $1 billion in economic activity citywide across its eight year history.

LinkNYC’s new training sessions help more neighborhood businesses, community organizations, and non-profits leverage free out-of-home advertising through LinkLocal.

Full report HERE

NEW YORK, NY— LinkNYC, the public-private partnership that created the largest public Wi-Fi network in the world, today released a report that shows its “LinkLocal” program has provided over $16.7 million in free advertising space since it launched in 2017 for community mom-and-pop shops and restaurants, community advocacy organizations, locally-based and independently-owned small business entrepreneurs, and nonprofits on more than 4,000 LinkNYC screens across the five boroughs. In total, LinkLocal advertisements have been seen an estimated 800 million times by New Yorkers and visitors.

“LinkLocal exemplifies how LinkNYC strengthens New Yorkers’ connections with their communities and with each other,” said Nick Colvin, CEO of LinkNYC. “Giving a small local business, non-profit, or community organization a voice on the streets of New York not only gives that organization access to an advertising platform that their neighbors — and millions of other New Yorkers — pass by every day, but it also connects people to their local communities. LinkLocal has the ability to transform strangers into neighbors and supports the development of prosperous and interconnected urban neighborhoods.”

To put LinkNYC’s impact on small businesses into perspective:

• $16.7 million in free advertising on LinkNYC screens is equivalent to the cost of 200 weeks – or close to 4 years – of advertising time on the iconic Times Square “1” billboard located just below the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
  
• 800 million views on LinkNYC screens is comparable to the visibility of an ad campaign running on a super-bright, jumbo-sized, high-resolution LED billboard in the heart of high-traffic Times Square for 3.5 years or on a similarly large LED ad display at a prime location around Penn Station for over 4 years.
  

LinkNYC also recently launched a new series of free training sessions to inform New Yorkers — especially locally-based, neighborhood business owners, nonprofit workers, and community organization leaders — about the LinkLocal program and its guidelines. These sessions aim to boost awareness of the program and ensure more of New York City’s community businesses and service organizations can harness the potential of digital out-of-home advertising to effectively engage their neighbors.

“New Yorkers love to shop local, and LinkNYC’s LinkLocal program gives locals and visitors alike a great reminder to visit neighborhood businesses,” said Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services. “Small business owners know that time is money, and by providing our city’s entrepreneurs free advertising, LinkNYC is helping them to focus on growing their businesses while also expanding their reach. I’m excited to work together with LinkNYC as it launches its new outreach and education initiative.”

Beyond providing free advertising through LinkLocal, LinkNYC’s operations have yielded an even broader positive impact on New York City’s economy. 

According to an outside, independent analysis conducted by HR&A Advisors in 2022, the LinkNYC program has supported a cumulative total of $560 million in labor income and driven over $1 billion in economic activity citywide across its eight year history. LinkNYC-related employment also yielded a 1.5 economic multiplier in 2022, meaning that for every one local employee hired for LinkNYC or one of its vendors, an additional 0.5 jobs were generated within the New York City economy. 

The LinkNYC program has also generated over $115 million in revenue for the City of New York since it debuted in 2015. 

Locally-based and independently-owned community organizations are eligible for the LinkLocal program if they conduct business in underserved areas of New York City, promote civic engagement, provide community resources such as food pantries and educational programs, and/or otherwise demonstrate a clear commitment to benefiting local communities through their products, services, or activities.

For more information about LinkNYC and LinkLocal, click here.

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About LinkNYC

LinkNYC is the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network. Each Link kiosk provides free superfast Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art, and local information. The city-wide network has more than 14 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 30 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a partnership led by Intersection and Boldyn Networks. The second generation offering will deploy thousands of new kiosks, called Link5G, enabled with 5G wireless technology across the city. For more information about LinkNYC or to find a Link near you, visit www.link.nyc.