Linear TV Measurement: Methods, KPIs & Choosing a TV Measurement Company
Move beyond ratings to prove—and improve—what your commercials actually drive.
Linear TV measurement ties scheduled airings on broadcast, cable, and satellite to time-stamped outcomes (sessions, branded search, calls, leads, purchases). By comparing observed activity to an expected baseline, you can quantify incremental lift and see which networks, dayparts, programs, markets, and creatives deserve more budget. This guide covers practical tv advertising measurement: the data you need, the models behind tv attribution measurement, which KPIs for TV advertising to track, and how to evaluate a tv measurement company without getting stuck in legacy metrics.
What “Linear TV Measurement” Means
Exposure metrics—reach, frequency, GRPs—describe who likely saw your ad. Measurement isn’t complete until you also quantify effect: the incremental lift in site visits, branded searches, calls, leads, and revenue caused by each airing. Our approach to linear tv analytics is built on fixed-time airings, so you can read immediate spikes and decaying response without blunt “credit windows.”
How It Works (Step-by-Step)
- Collect post-logs with exact timestamps, network/station, program (if available), creative, and market/DMA.
- Align outcomes (e.g., GA4 minute-level signals, call logs, conversions) to each spot’s air time.
- Forecast a baseline to estimate “what would have happened” using seasonality, day-of-week/hour, trends, and concurrent campaigns.
- Estimate lift by comparing observed vs. expected in tight windows after the airing to capture immediate and delayed effects.
- Attribute & roll up results by network, daypart, program, creative, market, and campaign for budget decisions.
- Validate with sample-size checks, schedule balance, and external-noise controls (politics, holidays, major sports).
This syncopated-response approach is a practical form of tv commercial analytics for linear schedules.
KPIs for TV Advertising (Track Exposure and Effect)
- Exposure: reach, frequency, GRPs/impressions (context for scale and cost).
- Effect: sessions, new users, branded search, calls, leads, purchases, revenue, ROAS/ROI, CPA.
Break KPIs down by spot, network, daypart, creative, and market. That’s actionable tv campaign tracking.
Linear vs. CTV (Where We Focus)
We specialize in linear TV. Live CTV environments with precise airing times (e.g., YouTube TV) can be measured with the same method. Pure on-demand (podcasts, app-served streams without timestamps) isn’t directly measurable with this approach.
What to Expect from a TV Measurement Company
If you’re comparing tv measurement companies, look for capabilities that move beyond ratings only:
- Lift, not just reach: spot-level incremental measurement you can act on weekly.
- Granular breakouts: network, daypart, program, creative, and market/DMA—plus clear tests of “what changed.”
- Data alignment: clean ingestion of CSV/Excel post-logs and outcome data (GA4, call tracking, conversions).
- Validity checks: sample-size thresholds, schedule balance, and controls for external events.
- Optimization hand-off: insights that directly inform buys (raise/bid, cut, shift, test).
Evaluating partners? Browse our vendor roundup: TV measurement & attribution companies.
Traditional Ratings vs. Incremental Lift
Panels, “big data,” and ACR streams are useful for who watched. To guide spend, you also need what it caused. Incremental-lift models translate schedules into effect on outcomes—so “good GRPs” and “good ROI” don’t conflict.
Linear TV Measurement Checklist
- Post-logs with timestamps, creative IDs, network/station, market/DMA
- Outcome signals: GA4 (sessions, conversions), call logs, CRM/transactions
- Weekly readouts: top/bottom networks, dayparts, creatives; recommended shifts
- Controls for external noise and overlapping digital campaigns
FAQ
Is linear TV measurement the same as TV attribution?
Related, not identical. Attribution is the framework for assigning credit; measurement is the practice of quantifying lift by spot/network/daypart/creative/market. You want both.
Can you measure local and national buys?
Yes—local reporting by market/DMA, national roll-ups by network/daypart with comparable lift metrics.
Do I need specialized media systems?
No. We ingest standard CSV/Excel post-logs from your tv media buying software and align them with GA4 and other outcome data.
Keep going: Learn TV analytics & campaign optimization • Start with What is TV attribution • Review our product