The first Neon sign was for the British meat extract Bovril.[13] From December 1998, digital projectors were used for the Coke sign, the square's first digital billboard,[14] while in the 2000s there was a gradual move to LED displays, which completely replaced neon lamps by 2011. The number of signs has reduced over the years as the rental costs have increased, and in January 2017 the six remaining advertising screens were switched off as part of their combination into one large ultra-high definition curved Daktronics display, turning the signs off during renovation for the longest time since the 1940s.