Does it cost anything to access TVB services?
Most of what we do is funded by the fees paid by our member stations. There is a minimal fee to access the creative library, and to have infomericals cleared. Non-member television stations must pay for all clearances. There are also fees to enter our commercial awards competitions.

   
Does TV advertising work?

Television enjoys a long and proven history in terms of message delivery and communication efficacy. It has proven time and time again that TV can be relied upon to achieve an advertisers communication objective and contribute to the achievement of associated business, marketing and sales goals. For more information on the Canadian TV landscape, click here, or take a look at our Case Studies section for definitive proof that TV delivers.

Should I advertise in a recession?

Of course! It's the perfect time to pick up market share when your competitors are reducing their profile. Big marketers will threaten, but many can ill afford to be completely off television. 

"This is not the time to cut advertising. It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times. Uncertain consumers need the reassurance of known brands--and more consumers at home watching television can deliver higher than expected audiences at lower cost-per-thousand impressions." --John Quelch, Senior Associate Dean and Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School   More...

Is TV surviving?

Yep. TV is still the great aggregator of audiences. As long as people desire interesting storytelling in a compelling video format, the medium will endure. The internet is infinitely fragmented and while its use is widespread, users gravitate toward websites catering to specific interests at very fine granular levels.

"The gospel of media has always been that no new medium has ever replaced an existing one. Radio adapted to the introduction of television just as print adapted to the development of radio. Broadcast networks adjusted when cable came along. The internet, media traditionalists have continued to assert, might cause upheaval and change for established media, but it certainly could not result in the extinction of those media." --Jack Myers, Media Futurist, Innovation Consultant, Jack Myers Media Services LLC,

What is the digital transition and is Canada ready?

Canada is set to make the switch to digital on August 31, 2011. An estimated 3 million analog TV sets in Canada are not compatible with digital signals and not connected to cable or satellite. There are more than 750 over-the-air analog TV transmitters in our country (CAB Update, 08/08/2008).
 

For a brief outline of the digital transition in both Canada and the US please check out the Digital TV Fact Sheet, or  for more in-depth and up-to-date information please see the Digital Television section of our website.

What is the current level of PVR penetration in Canada?

15.8% (BBM Canada, September 2009); 30% in the U.S. (Nielsen)

How much time do Canadians spend watching TV?

It depends on the demographic group. For the 2009/2010 broadcast year-to-date as of Nov.15th, Canadians aged 2+ spent an average of 27.1 hours per week watching television on a per capita basis.
 

What is HDTV?

High-definition television (HDTV) is a format of digital television and has the highest resolution and picture quality.  It is displayed in one of three resolution formats: 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.  Interlaced (i) display scans every other line per frame, while progressive (p) display scans all horizontal lines per frame, resulting in a greater number of pixels, and thus a better picture quality. For more information on HDTV please see the HDTV Fact Sheet.

How many spots were approved in Fiscal 2009 (Sept 01, 2008 to Aug 31, 2009)?

There were 49,838 spots approved. This is the highest number of approved spots for Telecaster.

What percentage of spots approved in Fiscal 2009 (Sept 01, 2008 to Aug 31, 2009)  and Fiscal 2010 (Sept 01, 2009 to Jan 25, 2010)were HD (high definition) spots?

7.8% in 2009 and 10.7% in 2010.

  
What length of commercial should I use?

It really comes down to your campaign's objectives. Shorter spots can still convey effective brand messages and are a good way to efficiently extend your reach. Longer spots are better suited for more complex brand messages and provide more time to tell a story and build persuasion. They enjoy higher recall but their cost is naturally higher. Thirty-second spots are the happy middle ground. They allow enough time to tell a brand story and are less expensive than ads 60-seconds and longer in length than their 15-second counterparts. They are great for brand-building and humorous campaigns and are recalled at 75%-80% of their 60-second counterparts.  More...

Is the 30-second commercial still the most popular length for commercials?

Yes, the 30-second spot placed first among all the lengths with a total of 26,211 spots approved in Fiscal 2009. The 15-second spot placed second with a total of 14,474 spots approved in Fiscal 2009.

Are there any new Telecaster Guidelines? 

Yes there were three new Telecaster Guidelines posted to the TVB website as of November 2008 and they include: the High Definition Guideline, Closed Captioning Guideline and the Billboard Guideline. More

Will commercials airing on U.S. stations be seen by a Canadian audience?

The short answer: Nope.