Cable Tv Ad Buying Services
Cable TV Buys FAQ
What is a cable television advertising buy?
Cable television advertising is the act of negotiating and then placing your ads on cable television stations such as ESPN, CNN, Fox News, TBS, TNT, USA, et al.
It can span from dealing with one cable outfit within a DMA, regional, and even nationally.
How is cable advertising different than broadcast television?
Broadcast television delivers its programming to a DMA (Designated Market Area), cable television can serve a smaller geographic area. Generally, a zone will be a subset of the DMA.
You can also buy the whole area that a cable provider offers within a DMA. Still, there is no guarantee that the cable provider will cover an entire DMA. Sometimes you may have to have contracts with multiple cable providers to cover a whole DMA in the same way a broadcast station provides coverage.
Another difference between the two is the programming. Cable television buys allow you to get your advertisements on very niche programming such as sports or news. On broadcast television, that type of programming may only happen in specific time frames or days of the week.
Due to the more niche audience, cable’s cost per thousand (CPM) is generally higher even though the price for spots are usually lower than broadcast.
Is cable television advertising cheaper than broadcast television advertising?
It can be, but “cheaper” doesn’t necessarily mean much when your goal is to get your brand in front of people. It doesn’t matter if it’s broadcast or cable; if the program or station has a higher amount of viewers, you’re going to pay more.
Depending on what you’re offering, you can find spots here and spots there that get you much more for your money. When it comes to cable and broadcast, it’s not a good idea to get obsessed with getting something “cheap.”
Cable television is “cheaper” in that the audience is generally smaller. However, your cost per thousand may be higher because you’re targeting a specific audience. So “cheap” is all in how you define it.
You can negotiate a cable or broadcast buy with thousands of commercials being run. Still, it won’t mean much if no one is watching or you’re offering your product on a channel that doesn’t fit your demographic. It might look “cheap,” but it might not help you obtain business.