What is the TIP initiative?
The Television Interface Practices initiative (TIP) has created modern standards for the exchange of information between local media buyers and sellers to streamline the day-to-day transaction of media.
TIP is not a system or tool that buyers and sellers use directly, but rather a set of technical designs describing how electronic messages (Proposals, Orders, Makegoods, Logtimes, etc.) should be communicated between systems.
TIP is an industry-wide, open collaboration across the ecosystem. TIP includes virtually all broadcasters, agencies, and system vendors to identify how the process of transacting local broadcast media can be improved.
Why is the industry driving TIP?
TIP’s goal is to reduce the friction experienced when buying local media by streamlining and automating the transaction flows, namely:
- Reduced the time to on-air by reducing manual tasks and streamlining communications,
- Reduce the errors that cause missed spots, discrepancies, and under delivery,
- Increase the level of vendor interoperability so various systems can communicate seamlessly,
- Migrate to new transaction models such as impression, audience, and omnichannel sales.
How might TIP impact buying teams?
The TIP standards should not change your relationship with sellers and your buying responsibilities. Please contact your company’s head of local investment or operations if you want to learn more about your agency’s approach and timeline to implementing TIP.
A change you may see today is the increasing use of automated Logtimes using the TIP standard. Most buyers can now automatically receive airing in a dashboard view and no longer need to request log information directly from local sales reps.
The use of electronic Commercial Instructions will reduce the amount of manual entry and errors thereby reducing the number of missed spots and delivery discrepancies for your campaigns.
The exchange of pre-sales information with sellers using the TIP standard is another area that agencies are targeting with increased automation over the coming months. This promises to reduce negotiation time and the time to on-air.
Where can buying teams learn more?
This one-sheet explanation gives a quick overview of the TIP Initiative for buyers.
TVB hosts the TIP website where anyone can get the standard.
Join the TIP Trading Partner Forum to get periodic TIP updates and contribute to the planning.
Ask your system providers Bionic Ads, Freewheel, Hudson MX, MediaOcean, PremiumMedia 360, and ProVantageX.
Frontrow Advisory is the consulting company that manages the TIP standard and supports the industry participants with deployment. Contact TIPinitiative@frontrowadvisory.com.
