Calls for UK TV industry to end ‘legacy’ trading practices

Broadcasters must reform decades-old media trading practices if TV media is to halt its ongoing “decline”, warns a new report by Enders Analysis, commissioned by UK advertiser trade body ISBA.

What does the report say?

• According to Campaign, Enders recommends the UK’s leading commercial TV broadcasters – ITV, Channel 4 and Sky – unite to form a joint sales house selling both linear TV and BVOD inventory, with a greater focus on engaging directly with clients.
• Enders calls for greater transparency in trading arrangements, and end to contract rights renewals – introduced in 2003 to prevent ITV from becoming too dominant in the market.
• Instead, it suggests that broadcasters split inventory between ‘premium’ and ‘standard’ airtime, with advertisers able to buy either audience-led or contextually-relevant packages.
• Enders also calls for a unified measurement system across both linear TV (currently measured in TVRs) and BVOD (measured in CPMs).

Why it matters

Advertisers are becoming fed up with the way that TV media is sold. In the US, Procter & Gamble signalled its intention to bypass the traditional upfronts by doing direct deals with broadcasters. Demands are growing for TV to be traded with the same flexibility as marketers are afforded with digital media.

Key quote

“The general idea that TV should become more like online, particularly with the demise of third-party cookies and ads needing to be led by content and other forms of data, makes a lot of sense” – Nick Manning, founder, Encyclomedia.

Sourced from ISBA, Campaign