Recently the LVCVA launched their new ad campaign in the UK, telling Brits to leave their stiff upper lip at home and come to Las Vegas. Here’s the video.
As part of the plan, the LVCVA was able to enter back into the TV marketplace after 5+ years. Through the planning process, we learned that the UK TV marketplace has some nuances to keep in mind when planning/buying.
Some major differences:
- The UK has a dominant state broadcaster, the BBC. It draws large viewership, but they do not allow any advertising.
- It is not unusual for some high-profile programs to deliver ratings in the 20+ range!
- TV is reconcilable – if a program over-delivers in rating, advertiser pays the difference
If The X Factor is forecasted to deliver 29 TVRs (same as TRPs in the US), and it delivers 36 TVRs, advertiser owes the network.
If Coronation Street is forecasted to deliver 15 TVRs, but only delivers 12, network owes the advertiser 3 ratings
Some similarities:
- There are both “Terrestrial” and “Multichannel” buying options:
Terrestrial – similar to the major broadcasters in the US (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC), their major broadcasters are ITV1, Channel 4, Five and ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast is similar to the morning show daypart in the US (Today Show, GMA, etc.) but for whatever reason, the government thought there was going to be corruption when they started selling this, so it is its own separate entity.
Multichannel – the equivalent of cable TV. Like the US, there are a multitude of channels to pick from and many fall under larger saleshouses.
For instance, Sky Media owns Sky 1, FX, E!, Comedy Central, Style, Vh1, etc.
- Like the US, share has been shifting from terrestrial to multichannel
- TV generally skews female, old and lower income; however buying on certain multichannel networks allows for more refined targeting
- Networks are motivated primarily by share-of-revenue, volume is less important
