Imagine something you sit on that has four legs, a seat and a back… Now, are you picturing a chair or a horse? They share some features, but nobody’s arguing they’re the same.
Now imagine saying “we need a commercial for our new product”. In 2026, that can mean two quite different films. One’s created for broadcast television while the other is built for YouTube, social and streaming. Despite having the same purpose and sharing many similarities, they are planned, priced, delivered and consumed differently.
And just like bringing a horse to a dinner party, choosing the wrong commercial format for your product could make things messy and expensive.
Strained analogies aside, knowing what your brand needs before you brief a commercial production company is crucial. So let’s take a look at the differences between TV and online commercials to help you make the decision.
Start with where it will run
The format follows the placement, and getting this clear first means the rest of the decisions fall into place. So, where will people watch your advert?
If it’s during the ad break on a TV channel, you’ll be making a broadcast commercial, with all the considerations that come with it. Anywhere else, such as social media feeds, streaming platforms or on YouTube, is considered online and has a different set of requirements.
If the answer is "both" (and it often is), that changes the plan again. We’ll come to that in a bit.
What does broadcast commercial production involve?
A broadcast commercial is made to air on television, and that brings specific requirements.
Most importantly, it has to be cleared through Clearcast before it can run on the broadcasters. It also has to be delivered as a broadcast-standard master in set durations, usually 30 or 60 seconds, sometimes with a 10-second cutdown.
This can (but not always) mean longer production timelines and higher budgets, due to the extra steps involved. However, the upside is reach and weight. Television still carries a sense of scale and credibility that brands use to feel bigger, launch something major, or define a season.
When your CEO imagines "a proper ad," this is usually what they mean.
What an online commercial involves
An online commercial is made for digital placement: YouTube, paid social, websites, and connected TV apps.
It doesn’t need broadcast clearance, so it’s often faster to deliver and more flexible regarding format. You are not locked to strict broadcast durations, and you can build versions for different platforms and aspect ratios from the same shoot.
The upside is targeting and agility. Online lets you reach a specific audience, test different cuts, and adjust quickly based on what performs. Budgets can flex too, since you are not carrying the full weight of a broadcast delivery.
It’s tempting to think of online commercials as inferior, but that’s far from true. Quality is still king. If the creativity, craft and production values aren’t there, a weak online commercial gets scrolled past in a second. The films that earn attention online are made with the same care as the ones built for the big screen.
Take a look at our successful work with Higgidy for an example of an online commercial built for digital reach rather than the TV schedule.
Where streaming blurs the line
The clean split between broadcast and online is getting fuzzier, and it changes how you plan.
Streaming and connected TV sit in the middle. Services like ITVX, Channel 4 and Sky's addressable advertising let your commercial run on a television screen, in a living room, but delivered more like digital.
It’s a mix of online targeting abilities with the look and feel of a broadcast commercial.
For your commercial production brief, this matters in two ways:
- Specifying ‘TV’ no longer means only linear broadcast, so be specific about whether you mean traditional channels, streaming, or both.
- Addressable platforms have their own delivery requirements, which sit somewhere between full broadcast clearance and a simple online upload.
This means you need to determine the exact platforms early. TV can mean a lot of things, and streaming is a big umbrella, so the more precisely you describe the placement, the better the film can be built for it.
The differences that affect your budget and plan
A few practical differences matter when you are deciding between an online or broadcast commercial, or a mixture of both.
- Clearcast Requirements: Broadcast absolutely needs it, and online generally doesn’t. Clearcast sits within the production timeline, so it shouldn’t significantly affect overall delivery times.
- Duration: Broadcast wants set lengths. Online lets you run longer or shorter ads and make several versions.
- Delivery: Broadcast needs a specific master to strict technical standards. Online needs the right files for each platform, which is simpler but more varied.
- Timeline: Broadcast may run longer, especially if there are clearance and delivery delays. Online can often move faster once the film is finished.
- Cost: A broadcast commercial involves more steps, so for the same creative idea, it can cost more than an online-only version. Fortunately, we’ve written in detail about Commercial Production Costs in 2026.
When you need both online and broadcast commercials
Most brands need commercials that run across all platforms to reach people at every touchpoint. That means a hero film with the weight of broadcast, plus a set of online and social versions to run alongside it.
The smart move is to plan for both from the start, rather than realising you need more later on and having to make do with what’s left.
That’s the foundation of our campaign film production approach. A single shoot produces the broadcast master and all the online cutdowns together. You pay once for the shoot day and get films for every channel.
A simple way to choose between online, broadcast or both
Ask three questions before you brief a production company to make sure you get the commercial you need and the results you want:
- Where will most people see this film?
- What does it need to achieve? Reach and credibility or targeting and testing?
- Will you need versions for other channels later?
Answer those honestly, and you will brief the right commercial the first time.
Not sure which one you need?
If your next commercial could be broadcast, online, or a campaign that needs both, contact us today and we’ll help you scope the right approach for your budget.
We’re based in Soho, London but work with brands and companies across the UK to make commercials that people remember.