TV Media Buying: What Is It & How Does It Work?

Advertising, Connected TV

Every year, marketers allocate billions to television media buying. Research indicates that in 2025, US TV ad spending is projected to reach approximately $84 billion, comprising $51 billion in traditional linear TV and $33.35 billion in CTV. But with audiences fragmenting across streaming platforms and linear channels declining, what’s the most efficient path forward?

Below is everything you need to know about TV ad buying in 2026.

What Is TV Media Buying?

TV media buying is the process of purchasing television advertising inventory to reach a specific audience, traditionally across broadcast and cable networks and increasingly through Connected TV (CTV) streaming platforms. It involves planning, buying, and optimizing placements to maximize reach, efficiency, and measurable business outcomes.

TV ad buys are typically listed in cost per thousand (CPM — the “M” stands for “mille,” the French word for “thousand”), which represents how much you’ll need to pay to obtain 1,000 ad impressions. Each time a user is exposed to your ad during a time slot, it counts as a new impression.

Benefits of Television Media Buying

There are several advantages to television media buying:

1. Wide Reach

You can reach thousands or even millions of viewers at a time. TV’s expansive reach enables brands to connect with massive audiences simultaneously, as Nielsen data reveals that ad-supported TV viewing accounts for 73.6% of all U.S. TV time in Q2 2025.

2. Targeted Ads

TV advertising offers specific targeting capabilities. Advances in addressable TV allow brands to deliver ads to precise households based on demographics and behaviors. This precision enhances campaign relevance, reducing waste and improving efficiency for marketers

3. High Engagement

You can connect with viewers as they engage with their favorite content. Streaming TV ads benefit from high completion rates exceeding 95% on average, fostering deeper viewer immersion and stronger brand recall.

4. Credibility

Being featured on TV enhances your trustworthiness. This trust premium helps brands in high-consideration categories like finance or healthcare build equity, as viewers associate TV ads with quality and reliability that other digital channels often can’t match.

5. Measurable Results

Once your ads are broadcast, you can track your campaign’s performance. Modern measurement tools provide insights into viewership and TV attribution. This data-driven approach allows for real-time optimization, helping brands refine strategies and prove business impact across the full marketing funnel.

TV Ad Buying Approaches

TV media buying has traditionally been all about linear TV (cable and broadcast). However, with advancements in technology, the term now encompasses the entire streaming TV ecosystem.

With that said, there are a few different ways to advertise on television:

Remnant

A remnant strategy involves purchasing unsold ad inventory at a discounted rate. Broadcasters don’t want unused advertising slots, so they will often offer substantial discounts to fill their last-minute vacancies. Though it does represent a cost-effective approach, you’ll likely have a tough time landing primetime ad slots.

Non-Preemptible (NPE)

NPE ads are guaranteed to air at a specific time and will not be replaced by higher-paying ads. These ads do come at a premium cost, but they ensure that your content runs exactly as planned, making them ideal for campaigns with strict scheduling requirements.

Super Bowl ads are a prime example of NPE content, as brands pay millions to ensure their content doesn’t get bumped out of schedule.

Upfronts

Upfronts involve purchasing slots months in advance, typically during the spring prior to the next major TV season. You can use an upfront approach to secure premium ad placements, and you may even receive discounts for early commitments in return. Upfronts also allow you to align your campaign with the launch of new and returning TV shows, which promotes greater exposure.

Programmatic

Programmatic buying revolutionizes OTT advertising by automating real-time auctions for inventory on streaming platforms. This enables brands to bid on impressions based on precise audience data, behaviors, and contexts for maximum relevance. Essentially, this is how TV advertising works in the modern streaming landscape.

Types of TV Inventory

TV advertising inventory can be grouped into one of two broad categories: cable or broadcast.

Cable

Cable TV advertising offers access to dozens of channels, many of which cater to niche audiences. You can purchase ad slots on channels whose viewership aligns with your ideal audience.

Broadcast

Also known as network TV, broadcast television includes major networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. These channels can be picked up with a TV antenna (i.e., for free) and thus have broader audiences and are ideal if you are seeking mass exposure.

Connected TV

Connected TV inventory enables brands to buy ad placements on internet-connected devices like smart TVs and streaming sticks, delivering targeted video ads to engaged viewers across premium OTT platforms with the precision of digital marketing.

How Does TV Media Buying Work?

The TV media buy process, whether for traditional linear or streaming platforms, involves the following steps:

1. Define Campaign Goals and Objectives

Start by clarifying what you aim to achieve with your ads across TV and streaming platforms. Set measurable targets, such as boosting site traffic by 15% or driving 500 conversions in Q1, to guide your strategy and ensure alignment with broader business outcomes.

2. Conduct Audience Research and Analysis

Dive into viewer data to understand demographics, behaviors, and preferences across linear TV, cable, and streaming services. This insight helps pinpoint where your audience spends time, whether on broadcast networks or OTT apps, enabling more precise connections and reduced waste.

3. Plan Budget and Media Strategy

Allocate your spend across channels, balancing investments in premium inventory like prime-time slots or high-demand streaming apps. Factor in audience overlap and performance potential to create a granular plan that optimizes for engagement without overspending.

4. Negotiate and Secure Ad Placements

Engage with networks, streaming providers, and platforms to lock in competitive rates and placements, leveraging options like upfront deals or programmatic auctions for CTV. Committing to volume buys can yield discounts, while remnant inventory offers flexibility for budget-conscious campaigns.

5. Schedule, Monitor, and Optimize

Coordinate ad delivery to air at peak times across the ecosystem, then track marketing metrics like viewership and conversions in real-time. While linear TV monitoring has limitations, CTV platforms provide advanced attribution, allowing data-driven tweaks to enhance overall campaign performance.

TV Media Buying Best Practices

To maximize ROAS in today’s hybrid TV landscape, advertisers should adopt forward-thinking strategies that blend data insights with creative agility.

• Leverage Cross-Device Retargeting: Extend your TV campaigns by retargeting viewers on mobile and desktop devices, capitalizing on multi-screen behaviors to reinforce messaging and drive conversions.
• Experiment with Different Ad Formats: Test interactive and immersive formats like shoppable ads or dynamic creative optimization to boost viewer interaction and performance.
• Implement Frequency Capping: Set limits on ad exposures per viewer to prevent fatigue and maintain engagement, ensuring your campaigns stay fresh while optimizing spend efficiency.
• Conduct A/B Creative Testing: Rotate multiple ad variations within the same inventory to identify top performers, using real-time data to refine visuals and messaging for stronger audience impact.
• Focus on Incrementality Measurement: Evaluate the true lift from your TV buys by comparing exposed versus unexposed groups, providing clear evidence of campaign contributions to business growth.

How Performance TV Changes the Game

Want the efficiency of digital media buying with the reach of TV? MNTN’s platform streamlines television advertising with Connected TV, giving you direct access to premium streaming inventory with precise targeting, real-time optimization, and full-funnel attribution. No upfront commitments, no wasted spend—just performance-driven advertising that delivers measurable results.

Here’s how MNTN Performance TV helps marketers modernize TV media buying:

• Premium CTV Inventory – Secure guaranteed ad placements on top streaming networks, eliminating waste from traditional TV buys.
• MNTN Matched – AI-powered targeting ensures your ads reach high-intent audiences for maximum relevance and impact.
• Verified Visits™ Attribution – Tracks site visits and conversions tied directly to ad exposure, proving campaign effectiveness.
• Automated Optimization – AI continuously fine-tunes your campaign in real-time, maximizing efficiency and eliminating unnecessary spend.
• Reporting Suite – Access real-time insights into audience engagement, conversions, and ROI to optimize OTT advertising campaigns with confidence.

Upgrade your TV media buying with performance-driven CTV—sign up today to get started with MNTN’s self-serve software.

Television Media Buying: Final Thoughts

Television media buying, now encompassing both linear channels and the expansive CTV ecosystem, remains a powerful tool for brands of all sizes to drive awareness and performance. But optimizing it requires embracing data-driven precision to avoid waste in a fragmented viewing landscape.

With MNTN Performance TV, you can seamlessly integrate CTV’s targeting and attribution capabilities to connect with high-intent audiences, achieve measurable outcomes like improved ROAS, and scale campaigns that evolve alongside your brand’s growth. Explore MNTN today, and redefine your approach to TV advertising.