Video ads by channel / Cinema
Cinema advertising.
Twenty-four frames, flat and scope, a 5.1 mix, and an audience that cannot look away.
The medium
A cinema ad plays to people who have paid to sit in the dark and look at one screen. DCM reports that all of the audience is seated by the time its last pre-show spot begins, Picturehouse puts the ads and trailers at fifteen to twenty minutes, and nobody can skip, scroll or mute. Val Morgan's attention research describes the pre-show as the one medium with no measurable non-attention.
The technical demands are the demands of a feature. Cinema runs at 24 frames a second, and a 25-frame master is slowed by four percent to fit. Pictures are delivered as 2K flat at 1998 by 1080 or 2K scope at 2048 by 858, with title safety at 1798 by 972, and the UK sales houses ask for a TIFF or DPX frame sequence rather than a video file. The US houses take a ProRes 422 HQ master and build the theatre file themselves.
Sound is surround and measured: DCM requires a 5.1 or immersive mix for every ad and fails anything whose Leq(m) exceeds 82 dB. NCM refuses static images outright, every UK ad needs Cinema Advertising Association clearance, and the premium slot next to the trailers carries a 60 percent premium on the rate card.
The specs
Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.
| Placement | Ratio | Resolution and file | Length | Sound and captions | Safe zone and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCM (United States), Noovie pre-show | 16:9; other ratios stretched or cropped | 1920 x 1080 preferred; 2K flat 1998 x 1080 and 2K scope 2048 x 858 accepted; 23.976 or 24 fps preferred; ProRes 422 HQ MOV or DNxHD | Not stated on the spec sheet | 5.1 plus Lt/Rt preferred, PCM 48 kHz 24-bit; stereo accepted; dual mono refused | All video needs on-screen motion, static images rejected; NCM converts the file for the theatre |
| Screenvision (United States), national commercials | 16:9 at 1920 x 1080, square pixels | 24 fps preferred (23.98 accepted); ProRes 422 HQ MOV preferred, H.264 MP4 at 20 to 25 Mbps accepted | 15 or 30 seconds on the local guidelines | 5.1 plus a stereo mix, or stereo only; 48 kHz 16-bit not exceeding minus 10 dBFS | Title safe is 80 percent of the frame, 1536 x 864; trailer positions need both flat 1998 x 1080 and scope 2048 x 858 |
| DCM (United Kingdom) | 1.85 flat; 1.78 accepted | 2K 1998 x 1080 (title safety 1798 x 972) or 4K 3996 x 2160 at no extra charge; 24 fps (25 fps slowed 4 percent); TIFF or DPX sequence only, no QuickTime, no alpha | Rate card based on a 30-second commercial; Gold, Silver and Bronze positions are 60-second spots | 5.1 or immersive mix required; six mono WAVs at 48 kHz 24-bit; fail if Leq(m) exceeds 82 dB | Supers at least 16 px high at 2K (18 recommended); CAA clearance required, about 24 hours; allow 48 hours for assets; captioned and audio-described versions at no extra cost |
| Pearl and Dean (United Kingdom and Ireland) | 1.85 flat | 1998 x 1080, title safety 1798 x 972; 24 fps (25 acceptable); DPX or TIFF sequence; P and D masters the DCP | 30 or 60 second local slots | 5.1 or six mono WAVs, 48 kHz 24-bit, minus 20 dBFS reference; Ireland caps Leq(m) at 82 | Masters one week before exhibition in the UK; 5 working days in the Republic of Ireland, 10 in Northern Ireland; CAA certificate fee charged if not supplied |
| Val Morgan (Australia) | 2K 1998 x 1080 per delivery partners | 24 or 25 fps progressive; DCP mastered by the delivery house | Not published | Conformed to source; Leq around 82 dB per delivery partners | No public spec sheet on the read date; VMID booking number required; foyer screens take a 15-second silent animation |
- NCM, Major Markets guidelines and specifications, read October 27, 2026
- Screenvision, national commercial delivery specs 2026, read October 27, 2026
- DCM, cinema advertising production requirements 2026, read October 27, 2026
- DCM, buying routes and premium positions, read October 27, 2026
- Pearl and Dean, production requirements, read October 27, 2026
- Pearl and Dean Cinema Ireland, ad unit specifications 2026, read October 27, 2026
Val Morgan publishes no technical sheet; its row comes from its delivery partners' pages. Screenvision requires a stereo mix beside any 5.1 while NCM ranks stereo below 5.1; both are recorded.
How we build an ad for it
Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.
Finished at twenty-four frames
The film is graded and rendered at 24 frames a second from the start, not converted at the end, so motion blur, music tempo and the length of every cut are what you approved. A 25-frame master would play four percent slow and long in the auditorium.
Framed for flat and scope
Trailer positions need both 1998 by 1080 flat and 2048 by 858 scope. We compose the scope frame as its own picture rather than a crop of the flat, keep every super and logo inside the 1798 by 972 title-safe box, and set small type at the 16 to 18 pixel minimum DCM specifies, larger when the room allows.
A 5.1 mix with room to breathe
The UK houses require a 5.1 or immersive mix and fail anything louder than 82 dB Leq(m). Dialogue sits in the center channel, music and atmosphere spread to the surrounds, and the LFE is used for weight rather than volume. A stereo fold-down ships alongside for the networks that need it.
Motion from the first frame
NCM rejects static images, and the sales houses want active frames only, with no clock, no end-frame hold and no black. The ad opens on movement and ends on movement, and the end card is animated rather than parked.
Earn the sixty
The premium positions are sixty-second spots and the room rewards a story. When the brief can carry it we write a sixty for the Gold Spot and cut the thirty for the standard rotation, the opposite of most channels where the short film comes first.
Delivered as the sales house asks
A TIFF or DPX frame sequence with six mono WAVs for DCM and Pearl and Dean, a ProRes 422 HQ master for NCM and Screenvision, clearance submitted to the CAA with the lead time the house specifies. The sales house masters the DCP; we make sure it has nothing to fix.
Films that fit
Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.
What to order
A cinema campaign is usually one hero film with its television and online cut-downs, a scope closer to a partnership than to a monthly ad slate.
A full minute. Brand film territory. Used in lobbies, decks, hero placements. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.
Launch on the pricing pageFor weekly content velocity, multi-campaign rollouts, or brand films.
Brand Partnership on the pricing pageQuestions about Cinema ads
What are the specs for a cinema ad?
2K at 1998 by 1080 flat or 2048 by 858 scope, 24 frames a second, progressive, with text inside the 1798 by 972 title-safe box. UK sales houses take a TIFF or DPX sequence plus six mono 48 kHz 24-bit WAVs; US houses take a ProRes 422 HQ MOV at 1920 by 1080. The sales house masters the DCP.
Do you deliver the DCP?
The sales house does. DCM, Pearl and Dean, NCM and Screenvision all master the Digital Cinema Package from the picture and sound we deliver, so what you need from us is a sequence or master that passes their checks first time, with the clearance paperwork attached.
Flat or scope?
Both, if the ad will sit in a trailer position. Flat is 1.85:1 at 1998 by 1080; scope is 2.39:1 at 2048 by 858. We compose the scope frame as its own picture so nothing important is cropped away.
What sound mix does a cinema ad need?
A 5.1 mix in the UK, where DCM requires 5.1 or immersive audio for every ad and fails anything over 82 dB Leq(m); 5.1 plus a stereo mix for Screenvision in the US; NCM prefers 5.1 with an Lt/Rt track. We deliver the 5.1 stems, a stereo fold-down and the measurement.
How long does clearance take?
In the UK the Cinema Advertising Association clears final copy in about 24 hours and DCM asks for 48 hours before that for assets; contentious copy goes to a Friday panel. Pearl and Dean wants masters a week before exhibition, five working days in the Republic of Ireland and ten in Northern Ireland.
Can our television commercial play in cinemas?
Yes, re-finished. The 16:9 master is reframed to flat and scope, the grade is checked on a projector-dark image, the mix is rebuilt in 5.1 under the Leq(m) ceiling, and any static end frame is given motion, because NCM rejects stills.
Keep planning
Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.
Other channels
Craft and proof
Plan your ad
Filmito
Tell us the screen. We build the film.
Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.
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