TV advertising is at a tipping point. With viewers shifting seamlessly between linear broadcasts, streaming platforms, and on-demand content, the old way of selling inventory — separated by channel, tech stack, and team — is increasingly out of step with how audiences actually consume content.
For many broadcasters, the result is a fragmented, resource-heavy operation. Sales teams juggle disconnected systems. Operations teams spend hours manually rebooking spots. Strategic planning becomes reactive instead of proactive. And advertisers are left with a disjointed buying process that treats platforms separately, making it harder to plan, execute, and measure campaigns holistically.
In this blog, we explore how the Total TV model — outlined in the latest TVREV report —offers broadcasters a proven path to simplify ad operations, scale more efficiently, and deliver stronger results for both advertisers and internal teams.
Unifying for efficiency and growth
As the TVREV report Smashing the Silo Barrier explains, Total TV redefines how ad inventory is packaged and sold. Rather than organizing around linear vs. digital, Total TV focuses on audience value — bringing all inventory into a unified sales and operations model.
The key shift: Total TV organizes inventory around audience value, offering it as premium or non-premium — not based on format, but rather on the content’s impact and demand.
Premium inventory
live sports, tentpole shows, and high-demand events — is sold directly for maximum impact and CPM.
Non-premium inventory
is automated, using data-driven systems to efficiently reach targeted audiences at scale.
This approach aligns teams and workflows, enabling broadcasters to drive growth while eliminating redundancy and manual effort.
It also marks a bigger mindset shift. Broadcasters are moving past the “linear vs. digital” divide and embracing a converged strategy — Total TV — centered on audiences. It’s no longer about where viewers watch, but how to reach them most effectively across every screen. That unified model enables businesses to adapt, evolve, and thrive through ongoing transformation.
Case in point: Sky Media’s transformation
Few examples illustrate the operational impact of Total TV as clearly as Sky Media.
Faced with the complexity of managing millions of ad spots across linear and digital platforms, Sky partnered with Imagine Communications to implement an integrated stack including Landmark™ Sales and GamePlan™ Optimization.
The results were dramatic:
- Processing time dropped from 25 minutes to just two per campaign.
- One team member can now manage 10 million ad spots — up from just 1 million.
- Automated systems continually optimize non-premium inventory in real time, freeing staff to focus on premium sales and strategic planning.
As Jeff Eales, Director of Systems Strategy at Sky Media put it:
“We went from scrambling to meet commitments to having campaigns in credit within months. It’s been nothing short of transformative.”
Reshaping sales and operations
Total TV does more than improve efficiency — it changes the way teams work. With automation handling high-volume, lower-value tasks, sales and ops professionals are freed up to focus on strategic deals, client relationships, and innovation.
Unified systems also mean unified data. Sales, planning, and yield teams can collaborate using the same source of truth — eliminating silos and enabling smarter, faster decisions.
That operational clarity leads to better campaign performance, happier advertisers, and stronger business outcomes.
A blueprint for U.S. Broadcasters
International markets — from the UK and Nordics to Australia — are already seeing the benefits of Total TV. But the biggest opportunity may be in the U.S., where fragmentation across teams, platforms, and technologies remains a barrier to scale.
According to the report, U.S. broadcasters piloting Total TV strategies have seen 15% to 30% improvements in yield — clear proof that a unified approach drives bottom-line results.
With advertiser expectations rising and legacy processes under pressure, now is the time to act. The broadcasters who simplify their systems and shift toward audience-first thinking will be the ones who lead in the years ahead.
Smashing the Silo Barrier:
How Total TV Is Revolutionizing Ad Sales
To learn more about how Total TV is transforming ad operations and how broadcasters around the world are putting it into practice.
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Customer Story
Sky Media
Sky Media optimized ad placement across 130 channels using Imagine’s GamePlan, improving efficiency and increasing revenues.
Solution
Optimize linear
Reduce operational costs and increase revenues by automating and optimizing ad placement for linear television.
Traffic
Landmark™ Sales
Efficiently manage cross-platform ad campaigns for linear, on-demand, CTV, and FAST audiences.
Optimization
GamePlan™
Lower opex and increase revenue by automating and optimizing ad placement for linear TV.
