Pricing16 May 2026

How Much Does IMAG Cost? (2026 UK Guide to Big-Screen Event Video)

IMAG - the live camera coverage that puts your stage on big screens so the whole audience can see - typically costs between around £2,000 and £35,000 plus VAT for…

IMAG - the live camera coverage that puts your stage on big screens so the whole audience can see - typically costs between around £2,000 and £35,000 plus VAT for the camera and vision production, depending mostly on how many cameras the event needs. A basic single-camera setup starts at roughly £2,000 to £3,500 for the day. Multi-camera coverage runs £5,000 to £10,000. Full festival or arena coverage is £15,000 and up. One thing to be clear on first: those figures are for the cameras and vision, not the screens themselves.

What IMAG actually includes - and what it doesn't

IMAG stands for Image Magnification. It is the live camera system that captures your stage and feeds it, switched and polished, to large screens either side of or behind the stage, so the people at the back have the same view as the people at the front.

It helps to think of an IMAG job as two separate parts:

The cameras and vision production. Cameras, lenses, a vision mixer to cut between them live, the production unit and the crew. This is what dwmedia provides, and it is what the price ranges below cover.

The screens themselves. The LED walls or projection the audience watches. These are very often already installed at the venue, or supplied by a dedicated large-format screen company, and they are quoted separately - because their cost depends entirely on their size and type. A modest indoor LED wall and a festival main-stage screen are wildly different numbers. We will always tell you clearly whether your venue already has screens or whether they need bringing in.

Typical IMAG price ranges in 2026

These are indicative ranges for the camera and vision production, excluding VAT and excluding the screens.

Basic IMAG - around £2,000 to £3,500 per day. One operated camera on the speaker or performer, cut to the screens. Enough for the back rows to see the stage clearly. This is the right level for comedy, single-speaker events, talks and smaller conferences.

Multi-camera IMAG - around £5,000 to £10,000. Roughly three cameras switched live - stage, a wider shot and some audience reaction - for a more dynamic, engaging picture on the screens. The standard for conferences, awards ceremonies and mid-size events.

Full festival or arena IMAG - £15,000 and upwards. Five or more cameras, a full crew, long broadcast lenses and the option of jib and wireless shots, run from a large production unit. This is festival main-stage and arena territory, and multi-day events sit at the top of this range and beyond.

Not sure which level your event needs?

Our event estimator asks a few plain-language questions and gives you a tailored price range in about two minutes - no jargon, nothing technical to work out. Try the dwmedia event cost estimator →

What pushes the price up or down

If two IMAG quotes look very different, it is usually one of these:

The number of cameras. The biggest single lever. One camera and one operator is a very different job to a six-camera build with a full crew. More cameras means more operators and a larger production unit.

The venue size. A large hall or arena needs long broadcast lenses, so cameras 50 to 100 metres back still get tight, sharp shots of the stage. Those lenses are a real cost, and venue size sets which ones the job needs.

The screens. As above - screen size, type and how many positions are the biggest variable of all, and that part is usually the venue's or a separate screen company's. It is worth confirming early who is providing them.

Single day versus multi-day. A larger IMAG build often needs an install day before the event as well, and crew and kit hire scale with every day on site.

Travel and accommodation. We are based in Northumberland and cover the whole UK. Travel is built into every estimate, and distant or multi-day jobs include crew accommodation.

Common questions about IMAG costs

What is the difference between IMAG and live streaming?

IMAG puts your event on screens in the room for the audience who are there. Live streaming sends it online to people watching from elsewhere. Many events want both, and because the cameras are already running for one, adding the other is often a smaller step than people expect.

Do you supply the LED screens too?

Our core service is the cameras and vision production. Screens are usually provided by your venue or a dedicated screen supplier and quoted separately, because their cost depends entirely on size and type. We will always make clear what is and isn't included.

How many cameras does my event need?

That depends on the coverage you want rather than the size of the venue - a comedy night in an arena might need just one camera, while a streamed conference needs several. Our estimator works this out from a couple of simple questions.

What does IMAG cost for a single-stage event?

From £1,950 excluding VAT for a day with two operated cameras and a vision mixer, which covers a conference hall, an awards ceremony or a single festival stage. Full broadcast or arena-scale IMAG with a trailer and an engineer starts from £4,500 a day.

Is IMAG more expensive than live streaming the same event?

Usually, and for a reason that has nothing to do with the cameras. A stream is watched on a phone; IMAG is projected several metres wide in front of the people who paid to be in the room. Soft focus or a late cut is obvious at that size, so the shot discipline and the crew count go up.

Does the price change if we already have screens?

Yes, downwards. Where the venue or your AV supplier provides the screens and processing, we supply cameras, crew and the vision mix and feed them. That is the common arrangement on arena and conference work and it is the cheaper of the two.

Why does an arena tour cost less per night than a single arena show?

Because the expensive part is the planning and the learning, and on a run both are paid once. By the fourth venue the crew know the show and the rig goes in the same way every time, so a routing quoted as a run comes out well below the same dates booked separately.

Do you charge more for a festival than a conference?

Not for the label, only for what the site demands. An outdoor stage with no power, no line and long cable runs needs more planning and more kit than a conference suite with a comms room, and that is what moves the number rather than the type of event.

The quickest way to a number

IMAG costs swing a lot depending on coverage and screens, so a guide can only get you so far. For a price tailored to your event, the fastest route is our estimator - a handful of simple questions and you get an indicative range, with a breakdown of what drives it.

Get your tailored IMAG estimate →

Last updated: May 2026. Prices are indicative, exclude VAT and cover the camera and vision production rather than the screens.