Key Questions for Your Cable Guy

Getting answers to the following questions about local cable will help advertisers make more informed decisions about including cable in their spot buys:

  • Is my market one of the 25 markets with local ad insertability on DIRECTV satellite?  (Local ads are not seen in satellite homes in the majority of TV markets.)
  • If local ads can be inserted into DIRECTV satellite in my market, how many homes does that represent?
  • Does the number of satellite homes you are estimating represent those with DVR boxes? (Local satellite ad insertion is limited to DIRECTV homes with DVR boxes.)
  • Is my market one of the 56 telco (Fios or U-Verse) markets with local ad insertability?  If so, how many homes does that represent?
  • Can you explain the process of inserting local ads on DIRECTV, U-Verse and Fios?
  • What are the limitations on programming / network availability for local ads on satellite or telco?
  • What percentage of your customers subscribe to each of the cable networks that I am interested in?
  • Is your proposal based on DMA, Cable Universe, system/interconnect, or satellite universe ratings?
  • Will traffic time and deadlines be equivalent on wired cable vs. satellite / telco schedules?
  • Will you provide a post analysis based on purchased ratings? Using which ratings or methodology?
  • Do you provide proof of performance that my commercials ran as scheduled? 
  • Do I get make-goods if spots are not run as scheduled?
  • How many homes are in your wired cable system/interconnect?  What is the percentage of all TV homes?
  • Are all of your customers inter-connected by one system so that all subscribers, in all areas can see my spot?
  • Can I see a map of your coverage area so that I can see how it relates to my Retail Trading Area?
  • Are the ratings derived from Nielsen data, or NCC’s FUSION methodology?
  • If FUSION: Have you accounted for ADS in markets without satellite insertion of local spots?
  • Does subscriber count include only households within the DMA and those subscribing to proposed networks?
  • Can I choose the cable networks and programs, or will my spots rotate randomly across a group of networks and dayparts?

 

 
 
 

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