Learn Guide 13
CTV insertion order terms
A direct CTV buy is only as clear as the terms behind it. Here is what buyer and publisher agree before the first impression.
What an insertion order is
An insertion order, or IO, is the agreement behind a direct buy: what runs, where, when, how much of it, at what price, and what happens if delivery falls short. Television has been sold this way for decades. On CTV, it is how a buyer knows the named channels and programmes the ads ran on.
The terms to agree
| Term | What to agree |
|---|---|
| Lines | Each channel, programme or package, with its format, markets and devices |
| Flight and volume | Start and end dates, impressions or spots per line, and how delivery is paced |
| Price | CPM, cost per completed view or a flat fee, per line |
| Make-goods | What counts as a shortfall, how it is closed, by when, and on which inventory |
| Frequency | The cap per household or device, per day and per flight |
| Content and exclusions | Genres and programmes to run next to, and those to avoid |
| Verification | Who counts, which tools the buyer may use, and the tolerance between counts before it is discussed |
| Creatives | Specs, delivery deadline and who approves them |
| Changes and cancellation | How much notice, and what is owed |
| Billing | Whose numbers are invoiced, when, and to which entity |
Test, then scale
A first IO is often a test: one market, a few lines, a defined flight, a report at the end. If the lines deliver, the next IO extends them. Agree up front what the test must show to be extended, so both sides read the result the same way.
Where it goes wrong
- Make-goods left vague. A shortfall found after the flight is hard to close.
- Two sets of numbers. Without an agreed source and tolerance, every invoice becomes a discussion.
- Late creatives. The flight starts, the inventory runs, the creative is not approved.
With agents
With a selling agent and a buying agent, these terms are part of the plan the two sides confirm. The selling agent answers within the publisher’s rules, the buying agent within the buyer’s guardrails, and people on both sides confirm before anything runs. Delivery is then read against that plan, shortfalls first with a proposed make-good, and the billable statement comes from the same record. See Why a shared record.