How do you run a connected TV advertising supplier comparison?

What to take away

Start with the inventory question, not the price

Every connected TV advertising supplier sells access to something.

Sky Media sells broadcaster VOD and addressable inventory from Sky and partner channels. ITVX sells ITV's streaming inventory, including addressable campaigns through ITV's sales team and Planet V, while Channel 4 sells streaming inventory on Channel 4's platform.

Netflix Ads sells Netflix's ad tier, with access through Netflix's sales team and Microsoft Advertising as a programmatic partner. Amazon Ads sells Prime Video ads through Amazon DSP or a managed service.

The IAB UK overview of the new online ad portfolio explains how video formats are defined across online advertising. Use it to check that a supplier's "CTV" label means full-screen, sound-on, big-screen delivery, not mobile video in a television-shaped frame.

If the supplier cannot name its inventory source in one sentence, treat the pitch as incomplete.

Ask also who holds the contract with the app owner. A reseller buying through a third party adds a margin you cannot see. That margin usually shows up as a weaker rate rather than a higher line item.

Score measurement before you score price

Two quotes are comparable only when both report against the same currency. Ask whether delivery is measured by the supplier's own platform, by a broadcaster panel, or by a third-party planning tool. Sky Media, ITVX and Channel 4 often report through broadcaster panels or their own platforms. Netflix Ads and Amazon Ads lean on platform-reported impressions.

Nielsen's media planning tools exist because reach and frequency estimates differ between data sets. If one supplier quotes platform-reported impressions and another panel-derived reach, you are comparing a van to a lorry.

For how measurement choices cascade through a campaign, read our guide to connected TV advertising tools and suppliers.

Reporting cadence matters as much as the metric. Daily platform data suits optimisation, while monthly panel data suits board reporting. Ask for a sample report before you sign anything.

What to ask on targeting and data

Ask which first-party signals the supplier can use. Sky Media's AdSmart uses household data. Amazon Ads uses shopping and streaming signals. Netflix Ads offers genre and country targeting. Channel 4 and ITVX use broadcaster login data. Each produces different audience definitions, and only some scale.

Ask whether targeting runs before the auction or after. Pre-bid targeting costs more per impression but wastes less budget. Post-bid filtering is cheaper to buy and harder to prove.

Ask how long audience segments take to build and whether they can be reused across flights. Rebuilding the same segment every campaign wastes budget and slows the first week.

A supplier that cannot explain the difference between its targeting modes is selling technology it does not operate.

Read the contract, not the deck

Four terms matter more than the pitch: minimum spend, cancellation window, data ownership, and whether fees are disclosed separately from media.

A disclosed structure lets you compare a 15% agency commission against a 20% platform fee on equal terms. Undisclosed fees hide in the media rate.

Check the notice period against the length of your flight. A 90-day cancellation window on a six-week campaign leaves you paying for inventory you will never use.

Ask for a sample insertion order before the second meeting. Suppliers confident in their terms will send one.

Decision table

Use the table as a filter before you shortlist anybody. It maps common UK buying situations to named suppliers worth comparing.

How to run the pitch itself

Send the same brief to every supplier: objective, audience, budget, flight dates and the reporting currency you want. Different briefs produce different answers and no useful comparison.

Thinkbox's guidance on choosing an agency or partner for TV advertising recommends matching the partner to the job rather than to the biggest name. Shortlist three, no more.

Score each response against the same five criteria. Then check how a supplier's platform handles reporting and billing before contracts are signed, as set out in our guide to connected TV advertising software selection.

Common questions

How many suppliers should I compare?

Three is usually enough. Two gives no tie-breaker, and four adds a week of meetings without changing the shortlist.

Should I use an agency or buy direct?

Buy direct when you have in-house media staff and spend above roughly £250,000 a year. Use an agency below that, or when you need broadcaster relationships you do not have.

What is the single best question to ask?

Ask which currency the supplier reports in and who verifies it. That answer separates planning tools from sales decks faster than any other question.

Do I need a separate measurement supplier?

Only if the buying platform cannot report against the currency your board already accepts. Otherwise you pay twice for the same number.