TV Commercial Production: Six Checkpoints Before Air

TV commercial production runs from bid to delivery. Six checkpoints before air: deliverables, clearance, lengths, masters, loudness, and delivery.

TV commercial production in 2026 runs from the bid to the moment a network or streaming platform accepts the file, and the shoot sits in the middle of that span. A spot that wins the creative review can still stall at delivery. A slate on a streaming upload, a mix that peaks too hot for one platform, a missing identifier, or a length the inventory does not sell can each hold a file back.

Streaming took 49.0 percent of US television time in Nielsen's July 2026 Gauge, and the same 30 seconds of video can run on broadcast, cable, and several streaming apps. Each of them publishes its own rules.

Checkpoint One: Scope the Deliverables at the Bid

Deliverables belong in the first conversation with the production company. AICP's 2026 Bidding Reference Guide asks when the spot is expected to air and what the shoot aspect ratio is. It also asks whether the deliverables match the length of the creative, citing a :15 deliverable for a script written as a :60.

Social versions come up in the same call, since the guide asks whether some deliverables need a vertical format. AICP's bid form records spot titles and lengths alongside stage days, location days, talent, and the director's prep, shoot, and post days. AICP's January 2026 Post Production Guidelines say the final deliverables, including versions and aspect ratios, should be part of the project specifications. Changes to the schedule or deliverables should be confirmed in writing by the post company and the client.

Checkpoint Two: Clear the Script With Each Network

The United States has no central clearance body for TV advertising. XR's North America broadcast specifications describe how each network's standards and practices department reviews ads against federal rules and its own guidelines.

Timing differs by network. NBCUniversal's cable advertising guidelines from October 2025 ask for a script or storyboard before production. Its Advertising Standards team requests substantiation for every claim and authentication of demonstrations and testimonials, reviews rough cuts on request, and asks advertisers to allow three business days.

Paramount's advertising standards, last modified May 2025, ask for materials at least two business days before air and for claims to be substantiated before the spot runs. Its digital guidelines set how long a qualifying super stays on screen: three seconds for one line, four and a half for two, and six for three. On NBCUniversal's digital inventory, categories such as dietary supplements, weight-loss products, and gambling platforms need approval 72 hours before launch.

Testimonials bring federal guidance into the edit. Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, revised in 2023, a claim made visually should carry its disclosure in at least the visual portion of the ad. The guides' own example is a TV ad that discloses by audio and on screen that the people shown are actors.

AI-generated presenters fall under a separate FTC rule. The FTC's Q&A on its consumer reviews rule says the rule has no blanket prohibition on AI-generated stock avatars, though their use could still be deceptive under the FTC Act. The rule prohibits them where the underlying testimonials are fake, and a celebrity avatar used without permission violates it when viewers would think the celebrity gave the testimonial. Starti's sign-off checklist covers who approves which of these items.

Checkpoint Three: Cut Each Length as Its Own Edit

Accepted lengths differ by platform:

  • IAB Tech Lab: the Ad Format Guidelines for Digital Video and CTV, final in July 2026, list 6, 15, 20, and 30 seconds. Bumpers of 3 to 10 seconds are also commonly accepted, and 60-second spots run sparingly.
  • Amazon: Prime Video in the US takes 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds; third-party streaming apps through Amazon take a set of lengths from 6 to 90 seconds.
  • Netflix: pre-roll runs 10, 15, 20, or 30 seconds, and mid-roll extends to 75.
  • NBCUniversal and Peacock: pre-roll at 6, 15, and 30 seconds, mid-roll from 15 to 60, with 90 seconds on Peacock by request.
  • Paramount Ads Manager: 15 or 30 seconds.
  • Roku Ads Manager: 6 to 92 seconds in its creative guidelines, dated September 2025.

NBCUniversal's programmatic guidelines do not accept stitched creative, such as two :15 spots joined into a :30, and allow one duration per tag. Each length is its own edit, with pacing and a call to action written for that length.

Checkpoint Four: Build a Broadcast Master and a Streaming Master

Broadcast and streaming expect different file layouts. XR's broadcast specification, updated April 2026, calls for a five-second slate carrying the Ad-ID, advertiser, title, and duration, then two seconds of black, with active picture starting on frame 168 at 23.98 fps.

Several streaming specifications exclude that leader. Disney Advertising asks for video commercials without slates or countdowns, and NBCUniversal's digital specification excludes bars, tones, and slates. Paramount Ads Manager asks for files without leaders, slates, or countdowns, and the IAB Tech Lab guidelines allow no slate, countdown, or black frames around the ad.

Both files come from one finished edit. The IAB Tech Lab recommends a mezzanine master in ProRes inside a .mov container, at native resolution, 10-bit where possible, with PCM audio at 48 kHz. Netflix prefers ProRes in MOV and accepts H.264 in MP4. Disney prefers 1920 by 1080, requires 16:9, and rejects 1:1 and 9:16 files.

Checkpoint Five: Mix to One Loudness Target

Broadcast stations and cable operators must follow the ATSC A/85 recommended practice for commercials under 47 CFR 73.682 and 76.607, the rules that implement the CALM Act. The FCC's rules incorporate the 2013 edition of A/85, and its consumer guide notes that average volume is what the rule measures. California's SB 576 prohibits video streaming services serving the state from transmitting commercial audio louder than the content it accompanies, on and after July 1, 2026. ATSC approved a revised A/85 on July 8, 2026, its first comprehensive update since 2013, with an annex for streaming services.

Published targets for commercials converge on one loudness figure and differ on peaks:

  • Netflix: minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2, sample peaks no higher than minus 2 dB.
  • NBCUniversal: minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2, with linear spots limited to minus 2 dBFS.
  • Paramount Ads Manager: minus 24 LUFS plus or minus 2, maximum peak of minus 6 dB.
  • IAB Tech Lab: minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2, true peak at or below minus 6 dBTP.
  • XR broadcast: minus 24 LKFS, true peak below minus 2 dBTP, with minus 6 recommended.

A full-program mix at minus 24 LKFS with true peaks at or below minus 6 dBTP falls inside each of those five specifications.

Checkpoint Six: Identify, Caption, and Deliver

Linear delivery requires an identifier. An Ad-ID code, issued by a registry the 4A's and ANA own, runs 11 characters, with a 12th character H marking high definition. Ad-ID states that commercials featuring SAG-AFTRA performers must use it as the sole standard identifier under the April 2013 agreement, and NBCUniversal recommends it for all creative. Paramount's standards require a unique ISCI code on every advertisement, the older identifier Ad-ID replaced. XR requires the Ad-ID on the slate to match the file's metadata.

Federal captioning rules stop short of standard-length spots. The FCC defines video programming to exclude advertisements of five minutes or less, under 47 CFR 79.1. For spots that carry captions, XR requires a CEA-608 track, and NBCUniversal records them on Line 21. XR notes that some networks require captions for creative running during the Super Bowl and that Canada requires them on every commercial.

Delivery runs through approved vendors for linear TV and through upload portals or VAST tags for streaming. NBCUniversal's linear guidelines accept files only from Comcast Ad Delivery, XR, On The Spot Media, Spotgenie, and Yangaroo, at least five working days before the first air date. Streaming platforms state their own review windows:

  • Roku Ads Manager: manual content review in two to three business days.
  • Amazon Ads: two business days from receipt of approved third-party tags.
  • Disney Advertising: up to five business days from final assets.
  • Netflix: creative pre-registration at least 72 hours ahead, and up to five days for restricted categories.
  • NBCUniversal digital: a Monday launch needs assets by the previous Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern when files are on spec.

These windows run from 72 hours to five business days, and NBCUniversal publishes longer deadlines for holiday and start-of-quarter launches.

Versions Beyond the :30

Streaming screens now sell formats beyond the spot. IAB Tech Lab's CTV Ad Portfolio, finalized in July 2026, defines six: pause, menu, screensaver, in-scene, squeezeback, and overlay. Each needs its own assets. Pause ads take a static or animated asset at 1920 by 1080 for full screen or 600 by 600 for partial screen, while squeezebacks and overlays run at least ten seconds.

NBCUniversal's standard digital specification allows up to six creatives in rotation, and its programmatic specification allows fewer than 20 and requires a quarterly refresh. Netflix supports eight ad languages across its 12 ad markets, and Amazon requires ads in a language the viewer understands. IAB Tech Lab's guidelines note that 1:1 and 9:16 are used in certain digital and mobile placements. Starti's guide to AI video ad production covers how an AI workflow produces those versions, and the TV commercial cost guide covers the budget side.

How Starti Produces Video Ads

Creative Studio is Starti's managed video ad production service. The team develops concepts, produces the ads, and handles revisions through final delivery, while the advertiser reviews the creative direction and the cuts in a shared project workspace. Formats, cut lengths, and languages are prepared as part of production. That covers vertical, square, and widescreen versions, 6-, 15-, and 30-second cuts with the story and call to action adapted to each length, and localized voice and on-screen text.

The delivery timeline is agreed at the start of the project from the campaign deadline and the required versions. Every ad Creative Studio produces includes free performance tracking and creative optimization after launch.

Teams that produce in-house use Video Agent inside AI Studio, which reframes a finished video to 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, and 4:5 and localizes it into ten languages with translation, dubbing, and lip sync.

Book a demo to plan the versions for your next spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a TV commercial?

TV commercial production starts with a brief and a deliverables list that names every length, aspect ratio, and language. Where the network asks for pre-production review, the script goes to its clearance team before the shoot. After the shoot, each length is edited on its own and mixed to minus 24 LKFS. The finished edit becomes a slated broadcast master with an Ad-ID and an unslated streaming master, delivered through an approved vendor or a platform upload.

What are the CTV ad specs for a commercial?

Disney, Netflix, and NBCUniversal prefer 1920 by 1080 at 16:9, in ProRes or H.264 at a constant frame rate. Disney, NBCUniversal, and Paramount ask for files without slates. Netflix, NBCUniversal, and Paramount specify minus 24 LKFS plus or minus 2. Accepted lengths, file size limits, and peak levels differ by platform.

What does the CALM Act require for TV commercials?

FCC rules under the CALM Act require broadcast stations and cable operators to transmit commercials in line with the ATSC A/85 recommended practice, which measures average loudness. California's SB 576 separately bars video streaming services serving the state from transmitting commercial audio louder than the accompanying content, on and after July 1, 2026.

Do TV commercials need closed captions?

FCC captioning rules exclude advertisements of five minutes or less from the definition of video programming. XR notes that some networks require captions for Super Bowl creative and that Canada requires them on every commercial.

What is an Ad-ID?

Ad-ID is the industry identifier for advertising assets, run by a company owned by the 4A's and ANA. A code has 11 characters, plus an H for high definition, and it appears on the slate, in the file name, and in traffic instructions. Ad-ID states that commercials featuring SAG-AFTRA performers must use it.

Can one master run on broadcast and streaming?

One edit can, but the delivery files differ. Broadcast delivery through XR expects a slate and two seconds of black before the ad, while Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and the IAB Tech Lab specify files without slates. Both files are rendered from the same mezzanine master and the same mix.