Broadcast television buys place paid commercials on over-the-air stations to deliver rapid, verified reach. Understanding how supply, pricing, and guarantees work is the foundation of an effective buy.

• Markets and coverage: Buys are placed by DMA to reach households via local broadcast stations. National broadcast can be secured through network deals for broader coverage, while local avails allow market-by-market control.
• Inventory types: Spots are purchased in specific programs, dayparts (early morning, daytime, early fringe, prime access, primetime, late news, late fringe), and live events. Fixed-position and non-preemptible units cost more but protect placement; preemptible units are cheaper but can be bumped.
• Buying windows: Upfront deals reserve inventory months in advance and often bundle premium programming. Scatter buys closer to air dates to fill needs or capture incremental reach. Some advertisers also use remnant to reduce cost when flexibility allows.
• Pricing metrics: Linear TV uses CPP (cost per point) and CPM to normalize value across programs and demos. Ratings, GRPs, reach, and frequency guide delivery expectations. Rates vary by market size, audience composition, seasonality, and program demand.
• Delivery guarantees: Linear buys often carry audience guarantees against a target demo. Underdelivery typically triggers makegoods or ADUs to fulfill the contracted GRPs.
• Compliance: Stations provide post-logs to verify airing. Buyers reconcile logs against ordered schedules and ratings to confirm delivery and trigger any required credits.

Done well, broadcast buys combine scale from high-viewership programs with controls that protect delivery and normalize cost across markets and schedules.

Strong outcomes on broadcast come from disciplined planning, creative fit, and rigorous measurement. Use the playbook below to maximize effectiveness.

• Set clear objectives: Define the role of broadcast in your mix: reach acceleration, brand lift, launch support, live event alignment, or promotional weight during key windows.
• Audience and targeting: Align buys to the demo that drives your business. Use ratings and composition to select programs and dayparts that efficiently index for your target while maintaining sufficient scale.
• Flighting and weight: Choose a flighting model that suits your goals. Bursts concentrate GRPs for fast awareness; continuous flights sustain presence; pulses alternate heavy and light weeks to balance continuity and efficiency.
• Creative alignment: Tailor spots to context and daypart. Shorter units can extend reach; bookends or fixed positions can improve noticeability; ensure brand and offer are clear within the first seconds.
• National vs local approach: Use national broadcast for broad coverage and marquee events; layer local DMAs for priority markets, competitive pressure, or retail support. Coordinate copy rotation and timing across tiers.
• Optimization: Monitor in-week logs and ratings to shift weight from underperforming programs or dayparts to higher-indexing inventory. Keep a portion of budget flexible for scatter opportunities and to capture live event spikes.
• Measurement: Track reach and frequency against plan using ratings-based delivery and post-buys. Where possible, add outcomes signals such as site visits, store traffic, search lift, or MMM contributions to validate impact beyond GRPs.
• Governance: Establish guardrails for preemptible vs non-preemptible mix, competitive separation, and spot clearance. Document makegood policies so underdelivery is resolved quickly.

When planning connects creative, schedule, and measurement, broadcast television can deliver efficient scale with predictable outcomes and clear accountability.