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TV works instantly – then keeps working

TV works instantly – then keeps working

Posted on: June 11, 2026
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TV advertising starts delivering from the moment it is seen and then carries on delivering for years. But its powerful short-term effects are often hidden, overlooked, or underappreciated.

“Instant” is usually associated with online. But thanks to always-on, always-to-hand mobile devices, all TV ads are now instantly actionable. Viewers can immediately search for a brand they’ve just seen on TV, join in with social elements of a campaign, or go straight to purchase.

And brands see it. Online businesses have become the biggest category of advertiser on TV. Why? Because they experience TV’s instant impact first hand.

Bar chart comparing TV advertising spend by business sector. Online-born businesses invest the most at £774 million, around £260 million more than Food, the second-largest category. Household FMCG, Cosmetics and Personal Care, Government and Social Political Organisations, Entertainment and Leisure, and Travel and Transport each spend about £300–£330 million. Retail spends the least at under £200 million. Online-born businesses are the largest investors in TV.

TV drives web traffic

Econometric analysis by Magic Numbers found a direct relationship between TV advertising and online response. Across ten brands modelled, TV was responsible for 42% of all web visits – around 50 million in total. This uplift was consistent regardless of investment level.

Pie chart showing the sources of website visits. TV contributes the largest share at 42%, equivalent to around 50 million visits. Search is the next largest source at 25%, followed by other drivers at 19%. Out of Home accounts for 6%, Social for 5% and Radio for 3%. TV is the biggest single driver of website traffic.

TV makes search work harder and smarter

TV improves the efficiency of online journeys. It encourages people to search for brands directly rather than generically – and that matters. Brand search is far more cost-effective than generic paid search, which costs advertisers more.

TV also brings people with the right ‘level of intent’ to a site, people who have already understood the proposition and are ready to buy. These people are more likely to complete the purchase journey.

Grouped bar chart comparing search journeys initiated by TV, Out of Home and Radio. TV generates the highest proportion of organic or direct visits at 66%, versus 63% for Out of Home and 59% for Radio. It also leads paid brand search at 20%, while producing the lowest share of paid generic search at 14%, compared with 24% for both other channels. TV drives more lower-cost brand search journeys.
Bar chart comparing digital channel performance while TV advertising is on air. Social records the highest average uplift at 15.4%, followed by Generic PPC at 13.1% and Brand PPC at 12.7%. Across the tracked channels, TV activity increases digital performance by an average of 13.7%.

TV delivers immediate profit, not just long-term ROI

Crucially TV’s instant impact doesn’t just stir action, it drives profit. Despite sometimes being pigeon-holed as only a long-term investment, TV is in fact the second biggest driver of immediate payback – the profit generated in the same week as ad exposure. Linear TV accounts for 20.5% of immediate payback; BVOD contributes 7.3%.

Only generic search ranks higher, but it lacks long-lasting effects – the same is true of paid social. Search and social fizzle out while TV fizzes.

Horizontal bar chart comparing the share of advertising profit generated in the same week as exposure. Generic PPC delivers the highest immediate profit at 30.5%, followed by Linear TV at 20.5% and Paid Social at 15.1%. Audio, BVOD and Online Display each contribute below 9%, while Cinema is lowest at 0.3%. Linear TV provides substantial immediate payback, second only to Generic PPC.

TV is easier to buy than ever

From low-cost packages to regionally targeted campaigns, there are ready-made solutions that make getting on TV fast and simple – even for first-time advertisers.

All the TV companies have expert teams on hand to help guide planning, buying, and creative – making the process smooth even for newcomers.

And today’s TV lets advertisers plan, book, and optimise campaigns programmatically – with flexibility, control, and clear metrics. This is about to be supercharged in 2026 following the announcement that Channel 4, ITV, and Sky – through Comcast Advertising – are launching a new advertising marketplace that will allow small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) to run a single campaign across all three platforms for the first time

Brands also don’t have to start big, the TV companies will work with them to test smaller TV campaigns regionally or with BVOD and then scale up once the – probably very good – results come in.

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