Ad Specifications
Master creative specs for Linear TV, Digital/CTV, DOOH & Audio delivery.
Regions Covered
North America broadcast specifications
Covered Regions
To maintain a consistently high quality product, OBM Dubbing Facility requires all material to be supplied to the following specifications.
Requirements at a Glance
| Unique identifier | Ad-ID or Ad Code |
| Content Layout | 5-second slate → 2 seconds of black → Ad |
| HD/SD | HD |
| Audio Loudness | -24 LKFS |
| File naming | Ad-ID or Ad Code (e.g. ZYWX9876000H.mov) |
Master Video Specifications
HD vs SD broadcast quality requirements
| Specification | HD Video | SD Video |
|---|---|---|
| CODEC'S | XD CAM HD422 | IMX NTSC 50 |
| MPEG-2 | MPEG-2 | |
| MXF | MXF | |
| ProRes 422 | ProRes 422 NTSC | |
| H.264 | H.264 | |
| VIDEO BIT RATE | 50 Mbits/s* | — |
| FRAME RATE | 24 / 29.97 / 59.94 | 29.97 |
| DROPFRAME | YES | — |
| ASPECT RATIO | 16:9 | 4:3 |
| WIDTH/HEIGHT | 1920 x 1080 | 720 x 480, 720 x 486, 720 x 512 |
| CHROMA | 4:2:2 | — |
| INTERLACING | 1080i (Upper field first) 1080p (Progressive) | 480i (Upper field first) ProRes (Lower field first) |
| AUDIO TYPE | PCM Audio / SMPTE 302M | — |
| SAMPLE RATE | 48kHz | — |
| AUDIO BIT DEPTH | 16, 24 | — |
*ProRes is exempt from bit rate specifications
Master Video Composition
Pre & Post Roll — 30 sec spot example
5 SECS
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:04:29
2 SECS
00:00:05:00 - 00:00:06:29
30 SECS
00:00:07:00 - 00:00:37:00
- •Active audio/video must start on frame 168 for 23.98 fps or frame 210 for 29.97 fps.
- •The first frame is counted as frame zero.
- •Video content must run to the last frame with no additional black.
- •Creative fades are accepted as long as the duration does not exceed 10 frames.
Vision & Audio Rules
Critical broadcast requirements
Audio Channel Mapping
8-channel audio output configuration
Stereo Audio
5.1 Surround Audio
AD-ID / ISCI File Naming
Naming restrictions & visual references
AD-ID / ISCI File Naming Restrictions: up to 12 characters for SD and HD
Title Safe Area Example
Slate Example
HD Ad Specs — Linear
Detailed format specifications by codec
| Spec | MXF (.mxf) ★ | ProRes (.mov) | Avid (.mov) | MPEG (.mpg) | H.264 (.mp4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stream Type | XDCAM HD 422 | Apple ProRes 422 HQ | AVID DNxHD HQ | MPEG-2 TS 422@HL | MPEG-4 AVC |
| Video Bit Rate | 50 Mbps | Default | Default | 45 Mbps (CBR) | 20 Mbps |
| GOP | Long GOP | Default | Default | Long GOP | N/A |
| Frame Rate | 24 fps, 29.97 fps or 59.94 fps | — | — | — | — |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | — | — | — | — |
| Pixel Aspect Ratio | Square | — | — | — | — |
| Width/Height | 1920x1080 or 1280x720 | — | — | — | — |
| Chroma | 4:2:2 | — | — | — | 4:2:0 |
| Scan Type | 1080p, 1080i (upper/top field first) or 720p | — | — | — | 1080p or 720p |
| Audio Type | PCM | — | — | MPEG-1 L2/PCM | AAC |
| Audio Sample Rate | 48kHz | — | — | — | — |
| Audio Bit Depth | 16 bits or 24 bits | — | — | N/A | — |
| Audio Bit Rate | Uncompressed | — | — | 384 Kbps | 224 Kbps |
MXF (.mxf) is the preferred format
- • 1920 x 1080, 29.97, Interlaced, Upper Field
- • 1920 x 1080, 29.97, Progressive
- • 1280 x 720, 59.94, Progressive
Audio type can be MPEG-1 Layer 2 (2 channels), AAC (2 channels), or PCM (2 channels or 8 channels).
| Channel | MXF / ProRes / Avid | MPEG | H.264 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stereo | MPEG-1 Layer 2, AAC or PCM | 5.1 Plus Stereo | PCM |
| Channel 1 | Stereo Left | Channel 1 | Left |
| Channel 2 | Stereo Right | Channel 2 | Right |
| Channel 3 | — | Channel 3 | Center |
| Channel 4 | — | Channel 4 | Low Frequency Effects |
| Channel 5 | — | Channel 5 | Left Surround |
| Channel 6 | — | Channel 6 | Right Surround |
| Channel 7 | — | Channel 7 | Stereo Left |
| Channel 8 | — | Channel 8 | Stereo Right |
Network File Naming Restrictions
Per-network AD-ID / ISCI character limits
up to 12 characters for SD and HD
up to 12 characters for SD and up to 13 characters for HD
up to 15 characters for SD and HD
up to 15 characters for SD and HD
up to 18 characters for SD and HD
up to 20 characters for SD and HD
up to 25 characters for SD and HD
Video Levels
ITU-R BT.601, BT.709 & EBU R 103 compliance
All video signals should comply with ITU-R BT.601, ITU-R BT.709, and EBU R 103 and video signals should not exceed the specified limits.
Video levels should not exceed 700mV, or fall below 0mV
- Black level = 0% / 0mV
- White level = 100% / 700mV
- RGB = 0% – 100% / 0mV – 700mV
| Bit Depth | 0% (Black) | 100% (White) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Bit | 16 | 235 |
| 10 Bit | 64 | 940 |
EBU recommendation Rec.103-2000 allows a small tolerance, assuming no more than 1% of the active picture is in error. Signals exceeding 5% of the above levels and 1% of the image for a four-second duration are considered “Out-of-Gamut” and will be rejected.
Audio Levels
ATSC RP A/85 & ITU-R BS.1770-3
Any content that does not conform to the -24 LKFS loudness level mandate will be automatically normalized to meet the loudness requirement. The normalization adjusts the overall audio level to meet a -24 LKFS loudness aim with no impact on the dynamic range.
Mandatory limit
To avoid rejections from TV & digital destinations
Extended Audio Channel Configurations
With Audio Description (AD) & Second Audio Program (SAP)
With Audio Description (AD)
Stereo with AD
5.1 Plus Stereo with AD
With Audio Description (AD) & Second Audio Program (SAP)
Stereo with AD & SAP
5.1 Plus Stereo with AD & SAP
Title Safety
SMPTE ST 2046-1
The safe title area is 90% of the width and 90% of the height of the production aperture. All graphics, text, and frame composition elements should be placed within the safe title area to prevent key content from being cut off.
Safe title area — all graphics & text within
Assets outside 93% (Safe Action Area) will be rejected
Accessibility Services
Closed Captioning & Audio Description
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning makes content more accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and can be added for an additional fee.
Canada: Closed captions are mandatory for all commercials.
Audio Description
Audio Description makes content more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired and can be added for an additional fee.
Watermarking
BVS & Nielsen encoding options
BVS Watermarking (Kantar)
Additional FeeIf you require BVS watermarking, this service is available for an additional fee. To proceed, please ensure you provide an Excel sheet from Kantar that includes the relevant BVS codes when placing your order.
Nielsen Watermarking
No Extra CostWe also offer encoding for Nielsen watermarking at no extra cost. To enable this, simply provide the CID (Commercial Identifier) number when submitting your order. Please note that while encoding is free, all reporting is handled directly by Nielsen and may incur additional charges.
Clearance
USA & Canada regulatory compliance
United States
There is no central clearance body for TV advertising in the United States. Each network’s Broadcast Standards and Practices (BS&P) department reviews ads to ensure compliance with federal regulations (FCC, FTC, FDA) and the network’s own guidelines. BS&P checks the legal, ethical, and moral standards before an ad airs. Guidelines vary by network.
Canada
Clearance is mandatory in Canada. The Canadian clearance body, ThinkTV, works on behalf of Canadian broadcasters who subscribe to the Telecaster Services. When clearing adverts, ThinkTV follows guidelines written and agreed by Telecaster members.
Other Important Information
Ad Code requirements & length restrictions
Ad Code Requirements
If you’re not using Ad-ID, the ID should follow these guidelines:
- 01No special characters or spaces.
- 02HD file names must end with an "H" but cannot end with "HH".
- 03In Canada, the "H" is not a requirement for HD assets.
Ad Code Length Restrictions
up to 13 characters
up to 13 characters
up to 15 characters
up to 16 characters
up to 20 characters
up to 25 characters
up to 25 characters
Video File QC Checklist
Automated quality-control tests run against every uploaded Linear TV creative
1 · File & Container
3 checks2 · Video Specs
7 checks3 · Audio Specs
6 checks4 · Slate & Structure
6 checks5 · Naming & Metadata
4 checks6 · Title Safety & Graphics
3 checks7 · Compliance & Delivery
4 checksSlate Requirements
- Ad-ID must be present on the slate and must match the Ad-ID in the metadata. If you use '/H' then the same slate can be used for HD and SD.
- Slates must be mute. There should be no audio on the slate or in the two seconds of black before the advertisement.
- A 2-pop at the end of the slate is acceptable as long as it does not exceed -20dBFS.
Master File Delivery
Creative due in house 2-weeks prior to airdate
Ad Approval timeframes can take longer; please supply rough cuts when possible prior to final revision