PSAs on Streaming TV: CTV and FAST
We prepare your public service announcement for streaming networks on connected TV (CTV) and free ad-supported streaming channels (FAST). Each network decides what runs. You get a record of what each network reports, kept apart from your TV and radio airings.
- Formats
- Streaming-ready MP4 with captions
- Coding
- Ad-ID on every spot
- Approval
- Each network authorizes placement
- Reporting
- Network figures kept apart from airings
What are streaming services for PSAs?
- Each network decides what runs; we never promise placement
- Delivery is a live request from the network
- Network figures stay apart from airings
Streaming is how many people now watch television, through connected TV (CTV) and free ad-supported streaming channels (FAST). A public service announcement can reach them there, in the ad breaks the networks run.
Streaming differs from broadcast in one practical way. A TV or radio station receives a finished file and decides when to run it. A streaming network’s ad system asks for an ad each time an eligible break comes up, so a network must authorize your PSA before it can be requested. We prepare the spot to each network’s specifications, handle the submission and follow-up, and report what each network logs.
Networks decide what runs, and no one can promise placement or audience. Streaming figures come from each network’s own reporting. We keep them apart from your TV and radio airings, because the two are measured in different ways.
What you get
One service covers preparing your spot, agreeing the plan, submitting it and reporting what the networks log.
-
A streaming-ready spot
We prepare your spot as an MP4 to each network's specifications, with captions and Ad-ID coding, so it is ready for the network's ad operations to review.
-
Networks that fit your goal
We match your audience, markets and campaign window to streaming networks, and agree the plan with you before anything is sent.
-
Submission and approval
A network's ad operations team, or the technology provider that runs its ads, reviews the spot and authorizes the placement. We handle the submission, the specifications and the follow-up.
-
Delivery as a live request
On streaming, the network's ad system asks for your PSA whenever an eligible ad break comes up, so delivery is a live request, not a file sent once. We supply the approved spot and the details each network needs.
-
A record of what each network reports
Impressions and completions, as each network's own reporting shows them, arrive in your campaign report with the network named beside each figure.
-
One report across screens
Streaming results sit beside TV, radio and digital in one report, so you can compare reach by channel without mixing the measures.
How a PSA reaches streaming viewers
Each stage leaves a record, so you can see where your PSA stands.
-
Step 1: Agree the goal and the networks
We agree what the campaign needs to achieve, then the audiences, markets, networks and campaign window that fit.
-
Step 2: Prepare the spot
We check the MP4 against each network's specifications, add captions and Ad-ID coding, and store it with its rights and expiry.
-
Step 3: Submit it for approval
The network's ad operations team or its technology provider reviews the spot and decides whether to authorize it.
-
Step 4: Set up delivery
For each approved network we supply the spot and the details its ad system needs to request it at eligible breaks.
-
Step 5: Follow the campaign
We keep in touch with each network while the campaign runs and note any change in its terms or specifications.
-
Step 6: Report what each network logged
Impressions and completions arrive as each network reports them, beside your TV and radio results and labeled by source.
Network figures and airings stay apart
Streaming figures come from each network. TV and radio airings come from measured occurrence data. We report both and never add them together.
Measured
Reported by the network, never assumed- Impressions and completions
- As each network's own reporting shows them, named by network.
- Submission and approval status
- Recorded for every network we submit to.
Estimated
Modeled, with the method shown- Audience beyond the network's figures
- Modeled from audience estimates and labeled with the method.
- Media value
- Commercial-equivalent value, never a network's official rate.
Streaming works by request, so the network's own reporting tells the story.
Networks decide what runs. We prepare the spot, follow the approval and report what each network logged.
Questions about PSAs on streaming TV
Short answers to what nonprofits and NGOs ask us about streaming.
What are CTV and FAST?
CTV is connected TV: streaming on a television. FAST is free ad-supported streaming TV: channels delivered over the internet with ad breaks. Both show ads in breaks, which is where a PSA can run.
Can you guarantee our PSA will run on streaming?
No. Each network decides what runs, and the organization that controls the ad space must authorize every placement. We prepare the spot, follow the approval and report what each network logs.
How does a PSA get into a streaming ad break?
The network's ad system asks for an ad whenever an eligible break comes up. Once your spot is approved, delivery is that live request, not a file sent once, so the approval and the specifications matter.
What do we need to provide?
A finished spot, captions, confirmation that talent, music and footage are cleared, the markets and audiences that matter most, and the campaign window.
How do we see results?
Impressions and completions arrive as each network reports them, with the network named beside each figure. They sit next to your TV and radio results in one report and are never added to airing counts.
Does the same tracking apply as for TV and radio?
No. TV and radio airings come from measured occurrence data. Streaming figures come from each network's own reporting, so we label the source and keep the measures apart.
How is streaming priced?
Each campaign is scoped on its own, based on the networks, formats, timing and reporting you need. We confirm the scope in writing before any work starts.
Tell us who you need to reach on streaming TV.
Share your spot, your audience and your timing, and we'll plan the streaming side of your campaign.