Unlocking Small & Medium Sized Enterprise (SMEs) TV Budgets: How Gen AI & Self-Serve Tools Are Transforming TV Advertising

At this year’s VideoWeek New Video Frontiers event, industry leaders came together to set out the key industry trends and emerging technologies for video & CTV advertising. Piqniq Co-Founder Bee Pearson joined other leading industry figures on a panel titled ‘Open SMEs: How Gen AI & Self-Serve Tools Are Unlocking New TV Budgets’, discussing how technology is democratising TV advertising for SMEs. Below we discuss some of the highlights from the panel’s discussion.

What SMEs Need From TV Advertising

Bee, who works closely with a host of new-to-TV advertisers at Piqniq, emphasised that SMEs approach TV with digital expectations. Many have relied on digital advertising’s accountability, precise targeting and real-time performance tracking. To make TV a viable option, they need similar transparency and measurement tools.

There’s two key solutions used by Piqniq to address these concerns:

Live TV Dashboards – A platform linked to supplier data, providing advertisers with real-time updates on their TV campaigns, cost breakdowns and quality metrics like peak share, reach, and frequency. This mirrors the level of control and insights brands expect from digital channels.

Advanced Linear & VOD Tracking – By leveraging household IP data, advertisers can track web responses and sales from exposed audiences up to 30 days after an ad airs. This long-term view aligns with TV’s broader brand-building effects while still offering measurable outcomes.

With 90% of AdSmart’s advertisers falling into the SME category, David Sanderson discussed how Sky’s platform has evolved to accommodate smaller brands. AdSmart enables advertisers to target audiences at a postcode level, making TV more accessible and efficient for local & regional businesses.

Charlie Glyn highlighted Channel 4’s innovations in SME advertising, emphasising the importance of expectation management. While TV can’t always replicate digital’s immediate analytics, new tools help bridge the gap, offering performance insights and audience targeting.

The Role of AI in Lowering TV Advertising Costs

AI’s role in TV advertising was a key talking point. ITV recently launched Generative AI ads for SMEs, but as pointed out, while the technology is promising, it’s not yet at the quality level required to replace human-led production. Instead, AI is helping reduce costs in other ways:

Virtual Production – This AI-powered LED screen technology, similar to what’s used in Disney+’s TV content, allows advertisers to create high-quality ads without expensive location shoots, saving time, travel costs, and reducing environmental impact.

AI-Powered Attribution & Optimisation – Platforms like AdSmart and Channel 4’s digital tools are using AI to refine targeting, optimise delivery, and provide insights into campaign effectiveness.

The True Value of Big Screen TV Content

TV has long been seen as a premium advertising channel for large brands. However, as was pointed out, TV’s cost-per-thousand (CPT) impressions are often far more efficient than digital video. A 2023 Thinkbox study found that TV’s CPT is half the cost of YouTube and 20 times cheaper than a 30” online video.

The real challenge is educating SMEs on balancing targeted reach with cost efficiency. Hyper-targeted TV campaigns can become expensive, but solutions like VOD, CTV and addressable TV offer flexibility, allowing SMEs to adjust their campaigns based on performance and budget.

The rise of self-serve tools and AI-powered solutions is making TV more accessible for SMEs than ever before. While digital-style precision remains a challenge, new measurement capabilities, automated optimisation, and cost-efficient creative solutions are helping SMEs justify TV investment.

TV’s brand-building power remains unparalleled, and as technology continues to evolve, more SMEs will find that entering the TV space is not just possible—but profitable.

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The VideoWeek New Video Frontiers event took place on Thursday 6th March 2025 at King’s Place, London. Bee Pearson was joined by David Sanderson, Director of AdSmart and Regional Sales at Sky and Charlie Glyn, Ad Technology Leader at Channel 4. The panel was moderated by senior reporter Dan Meier at VideoWeek.