--- title: "UK media buying guides | AdBuyMCP" description: "20 guides to UK media buying for B2B founders: why most buyers have vendors in mind before they search, testing TV and podcasts, billboards and lift tests." url: "https://adbuymcp.com/guides" --- [Home](https://adbuymcp.com/) / Guides For the person writing the plan # These guides cover the hard parts of buying UK media. 20 guides to the parts of UK media buying that are hard to find out about. They cover why most B2B buyers have vendors in mind before they search, how often a market can be planned to see you, what it takes to test TV or podcasts on a startup budget, how billboards are planned without movement data, how addressable television and cinema are booked, how many days a geo-lift test needs, and what has to be true before an AI agent goes near a media budget. - **guides to the parts of a UK plan that are hardest to find out about**: 20 - **words across the guides**: 31.0k - **questions the guides answer**: 45 - **jobs: reaching B2B buyers early, buying the awkward channels, knowing what you bought, running it safely**: 4 [Get my plan and price](https://adbuymcp.com/start) [Book a 30-minute call with the founder](https://adbuymcp.com/contact#book) Free, with no card. We read your homepage, draft who buys from you and show your monthly price before you join the waitlist. Nothing is bought until you've approved the plan and the ads. The library ## The guides are grouped by the job you are doing Every figure names the part of AdBuyMCP it came from, or links the page that published it, so you can check it before you act on it. ### These guides explain how to reach B2B buyers before they start looking They explain why most B2B buyers have vendors in mind before they search, who is in the group that decides, and how often a market can be planned to see you. 9 min read 3 questions answered #### [Most B2B buyers have vendors in mind before they search](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers) Your next customer probably has a list of vendors before they start looking, so the media that matters reaches them before then. B2B founders and first marketing hires at UK startups and SMEs who already run search, LinkedIn or outbound, and want to reach the buyers who are not looking yet. - **Had vendors in mind before research (Bain, US buyers)**: 80–90% - **Bought from that day-one list (Bain, US buyers)**: 9 in 10 Read it 5 min read 1 question answered #### [Why cross-channel frequency capping rarely happens](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/frequency-capping-across-channels) A cap of four on each of four channels lets a household see the ad up to sixteen times. Anyone running three or more channels who has been shown a combined reach number, and anyone who suspects their launch is hitting the same people repeatedly. - **The problem**: Caps are per-seller - **What it needs**: One exposure record Read it Source for 80–90% and 9 in 10: [Harvard Business Review, What B2Bs Need to Know About Their Buyers (Bain & Company)](https://hbr.org/2022/09/what-b2bs-need-to-know-about-their-buyers), 20 September 2022, checked 20 October 2026. ### These guides cover the UK channels that are awkward to buy Each one takes a UK channel that is booked, cleared or targeted in its own way, and explains what you are selecting, what it costs and what the paperwork does to your timeline. 10 min read 3 questions answered #### [Buying UK DOOH without a movement-data licence](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/buying-uk-dooh-without-movement-data) A billboard reaches whoever passes it, so you plan on the place and the hours. Anyone reading a DOOH proposal that claims to target a professional audience, and anyone planning out-of-home who wants to know which parts of the pitch survive scrutiny. - **Fidelity**: 50 / geo-cohort, fixed - **Screen ranking**: Empty without movement data Read it 7 min read 3 questions answered #### [How to buy podcast ads in the UK](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-buy-podcast-ads-in-the-uk) Choose between an inserted spot and a host read first, because the route, the price and the lead time all follow from it. Founders testing podcast advertising for the first time, and anyone choosing between a cheap self-serve spot and a host read they have been quoted for. - **Spotify Ad Studio**: From £250 - **Acast host read**: 4 to 6 weeks' lead Read it 6 min read 3 questions answered #### [The minimum budget for a startup to test TV advertising in the UK](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/minimum-budget-to-test-tv-advertising) Seller minimums are lower than most founders expect, and the budget that teaches you something depends on what you want to learn. Founders and growth leads at startups and SMEs wondering whether TV is a channel they can afford to test yet, and what the smallest useful test looks like. - **Sky AdSmart entry**: From £3,000, per Sky - **Clearcast standard fee**: Free, allow 2 to 3 weeks Read it 5 min read 1 question answered #### [How to read a media plan](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-read-a-media-plan) Most media plans leave out the forecast source, the data cost and what the targeting is worth. Anyone approving a media plan they did not build, and anyone comparing two proposals that look similar and are not. - **Fields to demand**: Six - **Most often missing**: Data cost per line Read it 5 min read 2 questions answered #### [What a DSP does and when you need one](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-is-a-dsp-and-do-you-need-one) A DSP needs somebody to operate it, and at most volumes that person costs more than the fee. Marketing leads being told they should have a DSP, and anyone comparing a platform fee without a clear view of what the platform is for. - **The Trade Desk, 2024**: About 20.3% of gross spend - **Reaching publishers**: About half (ISBA, 2020) Read it 9 min read 3 questions answered #### [How UK addressable TV targeting actually works](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-addressable-tv-targeting-works) You are buying households whose profile over-indexes on your audience, so write the brief for a household. Anyone weighing addressable TV for a UK campaign for the first time, and anyone who has been shown an addressable proposal that implies job-title targeting and wants to know what the deck actually means. - **Fidelity**: 55 / household, fixed - **AdSmart minimum**: £3,000 per burst Read it 4 min read 1 question answered #### [How Sky AdSmart works](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/sky-adsmart-explained) You select households by attribute and postcode district, and a sales house books the campaign. Advertisers considering addressable television for the first time, and anyone reading an AdSmart proposal that implies more precision than the vocabulary supports. - **What it selects**: Household attributes - **Fidelity**: 55 / household, fixed Read it 9 min read 3 questions answered #### [How UK cinema advertising is booked](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-cinema-advertising-is-booked) Two sales houses sell UK cinema, and a person at one of them confirms every booking. Anyone who has been quoted for cinema and cannot tell what they are being sold, and anyone building a multi-channel plan who wants to know what cinema adds to it and what it costs in process. - **Fidelity**: 40 / venue, fixed - **Lead time**: ~18 days incl. clearance Read it 4 min read 1 question answered #### [Choosing between cinema and CTV](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/choosing-between-cinema-and-ctv) Precision, speed and attention usually decide between cinema and CTV, more than price does. Anyone with a video budget deciding where it goes, particularly on a launch where both are on the shortlist. - **CTV fidelity**: 85 / person, best case - **Cinema fidelity**: 40 / venue, fixed Read it ### These guides show what a campaign can prove They work out how far the targeting sits from the audience you described, and whether a campaign can support a causal claim at all, before the money goes. 10 min read 3 questions answered #### [Designing a geo-lift test that can actually be powered](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/designing-a-geo-lift-test) Run the power calculation before the flight, while you can still change the design. Anyone who has been asked to prove that media worked, and anyone about to commission an incrementality test who wants to know before signing whether it can produce an answer. - **Power gate**: α 0.05 · 80% power - **Markets in the table**: 12 UK conurbations Read it 9 min read 3 questions answered #### [Incrementality testing on a small budget: a worked power table](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/incrementality-testing-on-a-small-budget) The power check never sees your budget. It sees your conversions and how much they swing. Founders and growth leads spending a few thousand pounds a month who have been asked to prove incrementality, and anyone deciding whether a geo test is worth commissioning at all. - **Settings**: 5% significance, 80% power - **10 A day, 15% target**: 70 days needed Read it 6 min read 2 questions answered #### [Why most incrementality tests are invalid](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/why-most-incrementality-tests-are-invalid) An underpowered test returns a random number that looks like a result. Anyone who has been handed an incrementality result and is not sure how much weight it carries, and anyone about to commission one. - **Standard significance**: 5% - **Standard power**: 80% Read it 10 min read 3 questions answered #### [What a fidelity score measures](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-a-fidelity-score-is) The score shows how much of the audience you described survives translation into each channel's targeting. Anyone comparing multi-channel media proposals and trying to work out which of the targeting claims in them are real, and anyone who has to defend a channel mix to somebody more sceptical than they are. - **Range published**: 85 down to 38 - **Grades**: 5 levels from person to venue Read it ### These guides set out the controls an agent needs before it touches a budget They cover what changes when an agent holds the keyboard, and which controls have to exist before that is a good idea. 4 min read 1 question answered #### [First-party data in UK media buying](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/first-party-data-in-uk-media-buying) Consent-based identifiers can carry a customer list onto television once a participation agreement is signed. Marketers with a CRM they want to activate beyond the social platforms, and anyone evaluating a vendor's first-party data claims. - **Where it works easily**: Social platforms - **Where it is hard**: CTV, audio, OOH Read it 6 min read 2 questions answered #### [What Clearcast and the CAA actually check](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-clearcast-and-the-caa-actually-check) Clearance asks you to evidence the claims your ad makes. Anyone writing television or cinema copy for the first time, and anyone whose flight date depends on a clearance turnaround they have not budgeted for. - **Clearcast standard fee**: Free, allow 2 to 3 weeks - **CAA cinema fee**: £180 + VAT Read it 11 min read 3 questions answered #### [Running paid media from an AI agent without losing control](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/running-paid-media-from-an-ai-agent) The agent proposes changes, and a named person approves anything that spends money. Anyone considering letting an agent operate an advertising account, and anyone who has to sign off on that decision for somebody else's budget. - **Human-only operations**: 11, with no agent tool - **Authority**: Mandate: ceiling, expiry Read it 5 min read 1 question answered #### [MCP for marketers: what the protocol actually changes](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/mcp-for-marketers) MCP connects an agent to tools, and the tools behind it decide what the agent can do. Marketers being pitched agentic tooling, and anyone deciding how much authority to give an assistant over a media budget. - **What it is**: An integration standard - **What it is not**: A capability or a moat Read it 8 min read 3 questions answered #### [The ad platforms' own MCP servers, and planning one budget across them](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/ad-platform-mcp-servers-and-cross-channel-planning) Each platform's connector operates one platform's account, and your budget runs across several. Founders and growth leads whose assistant can already talk to Meta or Google Ads, and who want to know what it would take to plan the rest of the budget the same way. - **Can change campaigns**: Meta, Amazon - **Read-only today**: Google, Microsoft, Snap Read it If the guide you want is the one about your own market, a 30-minute call with the founder will price it with you. [Book a 30-minute call with the founder](https://adbuymcp.com/contact#book) A worked example ## A market of 12,000 people costs £6,000 a month at 5 times a week Example: UK finance teams at 3,000 mid-sized companies, with 4 people in each buying team. This is what a plan for that market costs each month and what it buys. - **Companies that could buy**: 3,000 - **People in each buying team**: 4 - **Your market**: 12,000 people - **How often it should see you**: 5 times a week - **Monthly price, all-in**: £6,000 What the price buys: all four channels - Out-of-home Billboard and screen artwork - Streaming TV A streaming TV spot - Podcasts A podcast ad - ChatGPT ads A ChatGPT ad Example. All-in: the media, the ads we make for each channel from your website, the planning, buying and balancing across the four channels, and your weekly report, with no fee on top. Prices are shown before VAT. We balance your budget across all four channels for your market. It forecasts no reach or results. [Why most B2B buyers have vendors in mind before they search](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers) [How the price follows your market](https://adbuymcp.com/pricing) What they answer ## These guides answer 45 questions Each question links to the guide that answers it, so you can start from the question you would type into a search. ### [Most B2B buyers have vendors in mind before they search](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers) - [Do most B2B buyers really choose vendors before they search?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers#questions) - [Where does the 95-5 rule come from?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers#questions) - [Can streaming TV or ChatGPT ads target job titles in the UK?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/uk-media-buying-for-b2b-marketers#questions) ### [Why cross-channel frequency capping rarely happens](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/frequency-capping-across-channels) - [Can I just set the same cap on every platform?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/frequency-capping-across-channels#questions) ### [Buying UK DOOH without a movement-data licence](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/buying-uk-dooh-without-movement-data) - [Can DOOH really target business decision makers?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/buying-uk-dooh-without-movement-data#questions) - [Do I need a movement-data licence to buy out-of-home?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/buying-uk-dooh-without-movement-data#questions) - [Why can't a compiled persona activate a DOOH campaign end to end?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/buying-uk-dooh-without-movement-data#questions) ### [How to buy podcast ads in the UK](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-buy-podcast-ads-in-the-uk) - [What is the minimum spend for podcast ads in the UK?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-buy-podcast-ads-in-the-uk#questions) - [How long does it take to get a host-read podcast ad live?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-buy-podcast-ads-in-the-uk#questions) - [Should I start with a host read or an inserted spot?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-buy-podcast-ads-in-the-uk#questions) ### [The minimum budget for a startup to test TV advertising in the UK](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/minimum-budget-to-test-tv-advertising) - [What is the cheapest way for a startup to get on TV in the UK?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/minimum-budget-to-test-tv-advertising#questions) - [Does an AdBuyMCP awareness plan include TV?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/minimum-budget-to-test-tv-advertising#questions) - [Can a small TV test prove that TV works?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/minimum-budget-to-test-tv-advertising#questions) ### [How to read a media plan](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-read-a-media-plan) - [What is the single most useful question to ask about a media plan?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-to-read-a-media-plan#questions) ### [What a DSP does and when you need one](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-is-a-dsp-and-do-you-need-one) - [Is a DSP cheaper than an agency?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-is-a-dsp-and-do-you-need-one#questions) - [Do I need a DSP to buy CTV?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-is-a-dsp-and-do-you-need-one#questions) ### [How UK addressable TV targeting actually works](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-addressable-tv-targeting-works) - [Can addressable TV target my customer list?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-addressable-tv-targeting-works#questions) - [Why is addressable TV harder to buy than a digital channel?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-addressable-tv-targeting-works#questions) - [Does a household attribute mean everyone in the house is my audience?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-addressable-tv-targeting-works#questions) ### [How Sky AdSmart works](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/sky-adsmart-explained) - [Can I target a job title on Sky AdSmart?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/sky-adsmart-explained#questions) ### [How UK cinema advertising is booked](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-cinema-advertising-is-booked) - [Can I buy cinema advertising for one town?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-cinema-advertising-is-booked#questions) - [How far in advance do I have to book cinema?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-cinema-advertising-is-booked#questions) - [Does cinema advertising involve personal data?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/how-uk-cinema-advertising-is-booked#questions) ### [Choosing between cinema and CTV](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/choosing-between-cinema-and-ctv) - [Is cinema worth buying at a small budget?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/choosing-between-cinema-and-ctv#questions) ### [Designing a geo-lift test that can actually be powered](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/designing-a-geo-lift-test) - [How many markets do I need for a geo-lift test?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/designing-a-geo-lift-test#questions) - [Can I run a geo-lift test on a national campaign?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/designing-a-geo-lift-test#questions) - [Why refuse to report a number when the test is underpowered?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/designing-a-geo-lift-test#questions) ### [Incrementality testing on a small budget: a worked power table](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/incrementality-testing-on-a-small-budget) - [How many conversions a day do I need for a geo-lift test?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/incrementality-testing-on-a-small-budget#questions) - [Is there a minimum budget for an incrementality test?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/incrementality-testing-on-a-small-budget#questions) - [Why does the sandbox always pass the power check?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/incrementality-testing-on-a-small-budget#questions) ### [Why most incrementality tests are invalid](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/why-most-incrementality-tests-are-invalid) - [Can I run an incrementality test on a small budget?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/why-most-incrementality-tests-are-invalid#questions) - [Is marketing mix modelling a substitute?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/why-most-incrementality-tests-are-invalid#questions) ### [What a fidelity score measures](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-a-fidelity-score-is) - [Is a fidelity score an industry standard?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-a-fidelity-score-is#questions) - [Could you not just raise the scores?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-a-fidelity-score-is#questions) - [Does a higher fidelity score mean better performance?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-a-fidelity-score-is#questions) ### [First-party data in UK media buying](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/first-party-data-in-uk-media-buying) - [Can I upload a customer list to target on CTV?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/first-party-data-in-uk-media-buying#questions) ### [What Clearcast and the CAA actually check](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-clearcast-and-the-caa-actually-check) - [How long does clearance take?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-clearcast-and-the-caa-actually-check#questions) - [Does Clearcast charge for clearance?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/what-clearcast-and-the-caa-actually-check#questions) ### [Running paid media from an AI agent without losing control](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/running-paid-media-from-an-ai-agent) - [Can an AI agent spend money without a human approving it?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/running-paid-media-from-an-ai-agent#questions) - [What actually goes wrong when an agent runs advertising?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/running-paid-media-from-an-ai-agent#questions) - [Do I need to trust the model to use an agent safely?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/running-paid-media-from-an-ai-agent#questions) ### [MCP for marketers: what the protocol actually changes](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/mcp-for-marketers) - [Is an AI agent safe to point at a media budget?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/mcp-for-marketers#questions) ### [The ad platforms' own MCP servers, and planning one budget across them](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/ad-platform-mcp-servers-and-cross-channel-planning) - [Can an AI assistant run my ads on Meta or Google today?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/ad-platform-mcp-servers-and-cross-channel-planning#questions) - [Is a platform's MCP server a media planner?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/ad-platform-mcp-servers-and-cross-channel-planning#questions) - [Does AdBuyMCP use the platforms' MCP servers?](https://adbuymcp.com/guides/ad-platform-mcp-servers-and-cross-channel-planning#questions) The question index at [/faq](https://adbuymcp.com/faq) groups these with every other AdBuyMCP question by subject. Ask it directly ## Describe the problem and the assistant will point you at the guide It is grounded on these 20 guides and the pages behind them. It answers from what they publish and links you to the guide that covers your question. Ask about UK media buying Grounded on the 20 guides and the pages behind them Ask me anything about buying UK media for a B2B company: a channel, a minimum, how often a market should see you, or whether a campaign can be proved. I will point you at the guide that answers it. Prefer to talk it through? [Book a 30-minute call with the founder](https://adbuymcp.com/contact#book) How these are written ## Every number in these guides comes from three places Every figure in these guides comes from AdBuyMCP's own product or from the page that published it, such as a sales house, trade body, regulator, research firm or filing, linked beside the claim with the date it was checked. The methods work whichever platform, agency or sales house you buy through. - **AdBuyMCP's published figures**: The plan's rate and entry prices, the fidelity bands, the supply grades and the measurement labels are published elsewhere on this site and quoted from there, so a guide cannot drift from the page it describes. - **AdBuyMCP's software**: Mechanisms such as the power calculation, the market matching, the empty screen ranking and the workflow steps are described from the software that runs them. - **The page that published it**: Market facts such as rate cards, minimums, clearance fees, market sizes and survey figures link to the sales house, trade body, regulator, research firm or filing that published them, beside the claim, with the day each link was opened. A claim we could not find on its source came out, and a figure that is a vendor describing its own product is labelled as one. - **Nothing else**: A figure that cannot be traced to one of the three places above is left out, and so is any statistic we could not link to its source. The evidence grade of each AdBuyMCP connector is published at [/supply](https://adbuymcp.com/supply). Our trust page sets out how each channel is bought, what your weekly report shows and how we handle your data. [Trust and limits](https://adbuymcp.com/trust) Bring your market to a 30-minute call and the founder will price an awareness plan for it with you. [Book a 30-minute call with the founder](https://adbuymcp.com/contact#book) Bring your market ## Skip the reading and bring your market to a call. In a 30-minute call with the founder, we work out how big your market is, price 3, 5 and 12 times a week and talk through how we'd balance the four channels for your market. [Get my plan and price](https://adbuymcp.com/start) [Book a 30-minute call with the founder](https://adbuymcp.com/contact#book) Free, with no card. Talk your market and your plan through with James Rooney, who built AdBuyMCP and wrote its code. ## Questions about the guides These answers cover where the numbers come from, whether the guides describe a campaign that has run, and whether they help somebody who never buys anything here. ### Are these guides about AdBuyMCP or about the channels? About the channels and the methods, with AdBuyMCP as the worked example. Each guide is written so that a buyer using a different platform, an agency or a sales house directly still gets the useful part: what an audience pack is, why a power calculation has to happen before the flight, what a venue type claims and what it does not. Where the product's own behaviour is the point (an empty screen ranking, a refusal to report an underpowered lift), the guide says which behaviour belongs to this platform rather than to the channel. ### Where do the numbers in these guides come from? Three places, and every guide names its own. Figures this site already publishes elsewhere (the plan's rate and entry prices, the fidelity bands, the supply grades) are quoted from the page that owns them. Mechanisms are described from what AdBuyMCP's software does. And market facts such as rate cards, minimums, clearance fees, market sizes and survey figures link to the page that published them, beside the claim, with the date each link was opened. A claim we could not find on its source was taken out. ### Do these guides describe campaigns you have run? They describe how each channel works and what AdBuyMCP does with it, so no figure in them is a campaign result. No media has been bought through AdBuyMCP yet. The supply page shows how far buying through each seller has been tested. The day counts in the lift-test guides are design inputs worked out from a formula, and the prices are worked examples from AdBuyMCP's plan pricing. ### Can I use these without buying anything? Yes. Nothing in them requires us: the geo-lift arithmetic works in a spreadsheet, the cinema calendar applies whoever books it, and the questions to ask an agent-operated media platform are worth asking of any vendor including this one.