A Loop TV alternative where your content is the program, not the banner
Loop TV is ad-supported entertainment for businesses: a free Loop Player, 150+ music video and branded channels, and your specials as banners around it. PiAds is signage first — your menus and promos are the show — with local advertisers you approve filling the gaps, and 70% of every booking to you.
Loop TV solves a real problem — something watchable on the bar TV without a cable bill — and it does it well. But it's an entertainment channel that lets you decorate the edges, not signage. Your specials run as banners around Loop's programming, the ads come from Loop's managed network, and the venue reward is modest: Loop's program paid about $20 a month for running the player 240 hours. PiAds inverts it. Your content fills the screen; ad slots open only where you allow them; the advertisers are local businesses that booked your screen and waited for your approval; and the split is 70% of each cleared booking. If the TV is there to sell your stuff and pay you for the gaps, that's the model.
Being fair: if what you actually want is licensed music videos and branded entertainment playing all day with zero effort, Loop TV is built for exactly that, the player is free, and PiAds doesn't offer an entertainment library. Plenty of bars want a channel, not a menu board.
Loop TV vs PiAds at a glance
| Loop TV | PiAds | |
|---|---|---|
| What's on screen | Loop's music video / branded channels; your promos as banners | Your playlists and schedules; ads only in slots you open |
| Who advertises | Loop's managed ad network | Local businesses near your venue |
| Your control | Choose channels; upload banners | Approve or decline every campaign; set dayparts and prices |
| What you earn | Rewards program — about $20/mo for 240 player-hours | 70% of every cleared booking |
| Software cost | $0 with the free Loop Player | $0 for partner screens; $10/mo if ad-free |
| Hardware | Loop Player box | Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Raspberry Pi, or browser you own |
What it costs as you grow
| Screens | Loop TV / month | PiAds / month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 + Loop Player | $0 |
| 5 | $0 + 5 Loop Players | $0 |
| 20 | $0 + 20 Loop Players | $0 |
Both are free to run. Loop TV supplies a free Loop Player to registered businesses open to the public; its business rewards program has paid about $20 per month per player at 240 hours of runtime (as reported at launch). PiAds runs on hardware you already own and pays 70% of each cleared local booking. Pricing as of September 2026.
Where Loop TV falls short
- •Entertainment-first: your promos are banners around Loop's channels, not the program
- •Ads come from Loop's managed network — you don't choose or approve the advertisers
- •Venue earnings are a small fixed reward (about $20/month for 240 player-hours in Loop's program), not a share of what your screen sells for
- •Requires the Loop Player box rather than the stick already behind your TV
Where Loop TV beats PiAds — honestly
- •PiAds has no licensed music-video or entertainment channels — you supply the content
- •No programmatic or network ad fill: if no local business books, the screen earns nothing that month
- •The PiAds marketplace is strongest in the US metros where we have advertisers today
Banner around their show, or your show with local ads
Loop pays you a small reward for hosting its channel; PiAds pays you 70% of what local businesses pay to be on your screen. On PiAds your menus and promos are the program, ad slots open only where you allow them, every campaign waits for your approval, and the software is $0 for partner screens. Keep Loop for the bar TV if you like the channels — put PiAds where the screen is supposed to sell.
The 30-minute switch
Most single-venue migrations from Loop TV finish inside an hour — here's the low-risk order.
Sign up free — no card. The guided setup creates your venue in a minute.
Pair ONE screen (or just the built-in web player — no hardware needed to test).
Re-upload your media and let onboarding build your first playlist and schedule.
Run both platforms side by side for a week.
Move your remaining screens — pairing each takes about a minute.
Cancel the old subscription. Optionally open ad slots and start earning.
Switching from Loop TV, answered
How is PiAds different from Loop TV?
Loop TV is ad-supported entertainment: free player, music-video channels, your promos as banners, ads from Loop's network, and a small monthly reward. PiAds is signage: your content is the program, local businesses book the slots you open, you approve each campaign, and you keep 70% of every cleared booking.
Can I run both?
On different TVs, yes — some venues keep Loop on the bar TV for entertainment and run PiAds on the menu board and entrance screen where their own content and local ads belong.
Does PiAds have music videos or channels?
No. PiAds plays what you upload and schedule — menus, promos, announcements, video — plus approved local ads. If you need a licensed entertainment feed, that's Loop's product.
Do I need Loop's box for PiAds?
No. PiAds runs natively on the Fire TV Stick or Android TV device already behind your TV, on Raspberry Pi, or in a browser. There's also a free iOS app for managing screens.
Is PiAds free like Loop?
Yes for partner screens that enable approved ad slots. Screens without ad slots are $10 per screen per month or $100 per year.
Try the alternative that pays you back
Free for partner screens, no card. Pair one screen — or just the web player — and run it next to Loop TV for a week.
Start Free