Video ads by channel / Television
Television commercials.
Exact to the frame, mixed to the loudness law, cleared before it airs.
The medium
Television is the medium with rules written into law. In the United States a station must comply with the ATSC A/85 loudness practice under the CALM Act, which the networks state as minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2 with a true peak below minus 2 dBTP. Europe works to EBU R 128, where a commercial is normalized to minus 23 LUFS with its loudest short-term passage capped at minus 18. Australia certifies to OP-59 before a spot can air.
The spot is still watched by a lot of people at once. Nielsen's second-quarter 2026 Gauge gives broadcast and cable 51.8 percent of ad-supported viewing between them, and Thinkbox reports adults in the UK watching an hour and twenty-two minutes of commercial linear television a day, reaching 71.7 percent of them every week.
What changes most is the delivery. Durations are exact, a thirty is thirty seconds and no stitching of two spots is accepted. Text stays inside 90 percent of the frame, and anything outside 93 percent is rejected. The file carries a slate, black, a clock number or an Ad-ID, and in the UK nothing airs without Clearcast's approval, which wants two weeks for a script and two to three working days for the finished ad.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada delivery (Extreme Reach) | 16:9, square pixels | 1920 x 1080 at 23.98p preferred (29.97i accepted); XDCAM HD 422 50 Mbps MXF preferred, ProRes 422 HQ or MP4 AVC 20 Mbps accepted | Exact spot length; 5-second mute slate, 2 seconds black, then the ad | PCM 48 kHz stereo, or 5.1 plus stereo; target minus 24 LKFS, true peak below minus 2 dBTP | Title safe 90 percent; graphics outside 93 percent rejected; file named by Ad-ID, HD ending in H; captions mandatory in Canada, optional for a fee in the US |
| US loudness rule, 47 CFR 73.682(e) | n/a | n/a | n/a | Stations must comply with the ATSC A/85 recommended practice for commercial loudness since 13 December 2012 | The minus 24 LKFS target itself sits in A/85 and is quoted by the networks and delivery houses |
| NBCUniversal networks | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 minimum; 23.98, 25 or 29.97 native; ProRes 422 HQ preferred, H.264 at 50 Mbps and up; 10 GB | 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds; no two spots stitched together | 2 channels, PCM preferred, 192 kbps minimum, 48 kHz; minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2, peaks under minus 2 dB | Ad-ID on every creative; due 14 business days before launch; 3 to 6 creatives in rotation |
| United Kingdom (Clearcast and Channel 4) | Not stated on the pages read | Broadcast master files only (ProRes 422 HQ, AVC-Intra 100, XDCAM 50 or DNxHD export guides) | Coded into the clock number: AAA/BBBB123/030 for a thirty | EBU R 128 s1: minus 23.0 LUFS, short-term no higher than minus 18.0 LUFS, true peak no higher than minus 1 dBTP; 6 frames of silence as vision starts | Clock from 09:59:50:00, black from 09:59:57:00, ad at 10:00:00:00; every commercial Clearcast-approved against the BCAP Code; two weeks for a script, 2 to 3 working days for the ad |
| Australia and New Zealand (Free TV OP-59, Extreme Reach) | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080, 1080i/50, 25 fps; ProRes 422, DNxHD 120 or XDCAM HD 50 MXF | Spot starts at exactly 00:00:10:00 after an 8-second clapper and black; 3 seconds black at the end | Minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 1, true peak no higher than minus 2 dBTP; 12 frames of silence at head and tail (Australia) | CAD approval number required before broadcast; key number of up to 12 characters |
- 47 CFR 73.682, TV transmission standards (Cornell LII), read October 27, 2026
- Extreme Reach, North America broadcast specifications, read October 27, 2026
- NBCUniversal creative guidelines, read October 27, 2026
- Clearcast, clock numbers and slates, read October 27, 2026
- Channel 4 Sales, technical specs and deadlines, read October 27, 2026
- EBU R 128 s1, loudness of short-form content, read October 27, 2026
- Free TV Australia OP-59, read October 27, 2026
The FCC's own page returned an error on the read date, so the rule was read from Cornell's copy of the Code of Federal Regulations. Every broadcaster publishes its own sheet; the spot is conformed to the station or network it is booked on.
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.
Exact to the frame
A thirty is 30:00 and a fifteen is 15:00, with the active picture starting on the frame the delivery house specifies and no trailing black. Nothing is stitched: a sixty is a sixty-second film and a fifteen is written as a fifteen, each with its own clock number or Ad-ID.
Mixed to the law of the territory
Minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2 with a true peak below minus 2 dBTP for North America and Australia; minus 23 LUFS with the short-term level capped at minus 18 and a true peak below minus 1 for the UK and Europe. The mix is measured on a BS.1770 meter and the numbers are on the delivery note.
Supers inside 90 percent
Title safe is 90 percent of the frame and delivery houses reject graphics outside 93 percent. Every super, logo and legal line is laid out inside the 90 percent box, at a size that reads from across a room, and held for as long as it takes to read twice.
The script clears before the shoot
In the UK Clearcast wants at least two weeks for a script; in Australia a CAD approval number is required; in the US your legal team substantiates every claim. We schedule clearance into the production, write claims with their evidence beside them, and change nothing on screen after approval without telling you.
A slate, a clock, an Ad-ID
North America gets a mute five-second slate, two seconds of black and an Ad-ID file name. The UK gets a clock from 09:59:50:00 with the ad on the hour. Australia gets a clapper and twelve frames of silence at head and tail. The master is XDCAM HD 422 at 50 Mbps or ProRes 422 HQ, whichever the sheet asks for.
One idea that survives the fifteen
Most schedules run a thirty and a fifteen together, and the fifteen plays more often. We write the fifteen first so the idea is whole at that length, then let the thirty add the scene that makes it land harder.
Films that fit
Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.
What to order
The thirty is still the unit of television and every schedule wants its cut-downs, which is why a monthly slate of a sixty, a thirty and two fifteens fits a broadcast flight.
30 seconds to tell the story and earn the click. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.
Launch on the pricing page4 unique ads every month. Different angles, not shorter cuts.
Growth on the pricing pageQuestions about Television ads
How much does a TV commercial cost to produce?
Our prices are public and the same on every channel: the Launch thirty on the pricing page is the production price for a single spot, and the monthly plans cover a sixty, a thirty and fifteens together. Airtime is separate and is bought through your media agency or the broadcaster; we do not sell it.
What length should a TV commercial be?
Thirty seconds remains the standard unit, with fifteens for frequency and sixties for launches. NBCU accepts 15, 30, 45 and 60; the UK codes the length into the clock number; every length is exact, with no stitching of two spots into one.
What is TV clearance and how long does it take?
In the UK every commercial must be approved by Clearcast against the BCAP Code before broadcast, and Clearcast asks for two weeks for the script and two to three working days for the finished ad. Australia requires a CAD approval number. In the US the networks review claims and your legal team substantiates them.
What loudness does a TV spot need?
In the US, stations must comply with ATSC A/85 under the CALM Act, stated by the networks as minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2 with true peaks below minus 2 dBTP. The UK and Europe use EBU R 128, minus 23 LUFS for a commercial with a minus 1 dBTP ceiling. Australia certifies to OP-59 at minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 1.
What file do you deliver for broadcast?
For North America, 1920 by 1080 as XDCAM HD 422 at 50 Mbps in an MXF, or ProRes 422 HQ, with a mute slate, two seconds of black and the Ad-ID as the file name. The UK and Australia get their own clock or clapper layouts. The delivery house or broadcaster sheet decides, and we conform to it.
Can an AI-made film be broadcast?
Yes, subject to the same clearance as any other commercial. Claims are substantiated by you, likeness and music rights are documented, and where a broadcaster or regulator requires a disclosure about generated footage we carry it on screen. Nothing is made until you have approved the script and the sound.
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.
Since 2017 · 9,700+ films · 4.8 from 970+ reviews, every one readable