Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent an important growth opportunity for TV advertising, but reaching them requires new approaches to access, pricing and campaign management.
The new egta Snapshot sets out what defines an SME, which part of the segment matters most for TV, and the market context driving broadcasters to rethink how they serve smaller advertisers.
The report draws on examples from egta members across Europe and Canada, from cross-broadcaster marketplaces in the UK and Norway to self-serve platforms in France, Belgium, Italy and Sweden, co-selling partnerships in Germany and Austria, and entry-level offers with fixed prices or low minimum spend in the Netherlands and Switzerland. Together, they show the range of approaches sales houses are taking, including AI-powered creative and optimisation, first-party data targeting and simplified onboarding.
The Snapshot also weighs the opportunities and challenges of launching a self-serve platform and offers practical guidance for sales houses: the questions to ask internally, the critical success factors for implementation, and how to frame the strategy competitively. It closes with egta’s perspective on the role TV can play for SMEs going forward.
View table of contents
Definitions & Context
- What is an SME?
- Terminology, background and context
- The segment that matters for TV
- Market Context
Examples from egta members
- United Kingdom: a cross-broadcaster marketplace and creative services (cooperation between Channel 4 Sales, ITV and Sky Media on Universal Ads)
- France: self-serve platforms, AI creative and partner networks (TF1 ad manager, M6 Ad Manager+)
- Germany and Austria: addressable TV through co-selling partners (Ad Manager by RTL AdAlliance)
- Italy: an entry-level CTV product built for SMEs (Mediaset Ad Manager)
- Sweden: one platform for new clients and agencies (TV4 Media Manager)
- Belgium: AI optimisation and no minimum spend on CTV (Ad Manager by DPG Media)
- Netherlands: fixed prices and a starter pathway (sales offers, flat rate pricing strategy and client portal by Ster)
- Switzerland: a long-running SME strategy, now with TV from CHF 1,000 (Goldbach’s self-serve platform and SME-focused offer)
- Canada: first-party data targeting, now with a premium-only option (Bell Ads for Business)
- Canada: a three-step platform built for small and mid-sized businesses (Corus Ad Manager)
- Norway: one place to book three broadcasters (Glimra platform by Viaplay, TV2 and Warner Bros Discovery)
Opportunities linked to launching a self-serve platform
Challenges linked to launching a self-serve platform
Key considerations for sales houses
- Questions you should be asking internally
- Critical success factors for implementation
- Strategic and competitive framing
egta’s Perspective
Download the publication
Access conditions
Access to this report is open to egta TV member companies. You need to be logged in to download the file.
If you are an egta TV member and you are logged in but you cannot download the files, please contact the egta team.