Cape.io’s how-to guide to delivering CTV and linear ads in the UK & Ireland

10 steps to get your ad on TV

This was originally posted on the Peach website. Find out more about the rebrand from Peach to Cape.io.

Need to send CTV and linear ads in the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI)? Peach has got your back with our step-by-step guide.

When working on an ad campaign and fulfilling a media plan for the UK & Ireland, there are a number of things you need to consider and processes that you need to stick to.


1. Timings 

To run ads on TV you will need to set yourself up with clearances bodies and CARIA well in advance of airtime. Give yourself a minimum of 5 weeks to ensure you don’t miss airtime.


2. Clearance

Media plans that include activity for the UK and ROI, require that you manage the clearance through the appropriate mandatory bodies.

  • UK ads are approved by Clearcast 

  • ROI ads are cleared according to the channels they are transmitting on RTE and/or Virgin and Clearcast if UK channels are airing in Ireland.


3. Advertising Codes

Your ads will need to follow the UK Advertising Codes, rules for advertisers, agencies and media owners (determined by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP)). Read more…

The ROI Codes are enforced and published by Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland. Read more…


4. Delivering ads

Broadcasters require that CTV and linear ad delivery is processed via an approved partner, like Peach.
Set up an account by registering with us. Once set up, it’s easy to place an order on Peach Connect — check out this video for more.


5. Format requirements

Peach Connect is designed to make your life easier, so you can upload just one XDCAM file, using Peach UK/ROI specs, and we will sort out all the necessary transcodes and layout requirements for broadcasters.

Your ad will need to include a ‘slate’ — (a section showing information at the beginning of the ad). Get more information on how to create a slate…

If you require the upload to be AVC Intra or ProRes, let us know and we can make the adjustment.


6. Clock number IDs 

Each ad must have a unique ID which, in the UK, is called a Clock Number. For more information on how the ID is generated and the naming convention we have created this helpful page on clock numbers.

For Ireland, we suggest that ads are cleared by Clearcast for UK owned channels (even if you are only airing in ROI), and RTE & VMS in Ireland.

We guarantee that your ads will be held by the broadcaster for 3 months. After this time, you may need to resupply it, if there are new bookings for the same ad.


7. Broadcaster instructions

UK linear and BVOD destinations require ‘instructions’ (information that includes the date and time an ad should be shown and if it has been cleared). This is sent via CARIA.

For ROI the preferred method to communicate campaign instructions is also via CARIA, although you can send communications to RTE & VMS directly.


8. Broadcaster lead times

Most broadcasters can accept ads two full working days in advance of the airdate, but there are exceptions:

  • Public holidays affect deadlines, so make sure you check with our team to find out the details 

  • Sky Adsmart needs 7 working days

  • BVOD ads need 5 working days 

  • Finecast must have 10 working days


9. Inclusive advertising

The UK is committed to accessible advertising. We recommend you subtitle your ad for the deaf and hard of hearing, and, where broadcasters support it, to include Audio Descriptions for the visually impaired. 

For more information on why you should make your advertising inclusive, please read this Guidance for Marketers from ISBA. You can arrange this with our team and our subtitling partner, Adtext.


10. Music 

If you use music in your ads, you will need information such as library track, performer, publisher, etc. in order to obtain clearance (see ‘Clearance’ above). It is essential to include music details on Irish rotation instructions.


Peach Plus: streamline delivery and clearance

All of the above services can also be managed by our Peach Plus team.

Peach Plus support agencies, advertisers across the globe to make sure ads are fully compliant and delivered to the correct destinations. With a wealth of knowledge, we are your go-to when it comes to getting ads to the right place, in the right time and right format. If you are interested, contact us

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News

Stay ahead of the curve

Curious about the latest in marketing and advertising?
Subscribe to our monthly Promarketers newsletter.

Mar 18, 2026

No more chocolate at breakfast? Navigating the new LHF ad rules this Easter

As ad compliance requirements evolve in 2026, UK confectionery brands face new restrictions on less healthy food (LHF) advertising. With the January 5 watershed now in effect, ad quality assurance systems must validate timing, placement, and product identifiability to avoid clearance failures this Easter season.

Mar 16, 2026

The future of inclusion: How Cape.io powered Virgin Media Television’s fully accessible ad break during the Men’s Six Nations

As Channel 4’s closed-captioning mandate came into effect in March 2026, Cape.io partnered with Virgin Media Television, Omnicom Media Group and VoiceBox to deliver a truly accessible ad break during the Guinness Men’s Six Nations. More than ad compliance, this moment proved that accessibility can operate at the highest level of live sports broadcasting.

Feb 27, 2026

Navigating Channel 4’s 2026 closed caption mandate

As ad compliance requirements tighten across the UK and Europe, closed captioning has evolved from an accessibility checkbox to a strategic necessity. Whether you're managing CTV campaigns or social media creative, automated ad testing for caption quality is no longer optional - it's fundamental to reaching today's fragmented, multi-screen audiences.

The advertising landscape is facing a seismic shift. By March 1, Channel 4 will become the first UK broadcaster to mandate closed captions across all advertising - including linear TV, streaming, and sponsorships.

The mandate is  a redefined standard for global inclusivity. Here is everything you need to know about the new mandate and how to stay ahead of the curve.

Feb 26, 2026

One platform, many realities: How creative automation platforms resolve the global vs. local tension

Scaling global marketing without losing local relevance requires more than brand guidelines and templates - it requires a creative automation platform designed for both global control and local flexibility. Most systems optimize for standardization, but scaling ad creative production across markets demands architecture that enables creative variation and adaptation by local experts without fragmenting brand governance.

Many global advertisers are chasing the same ideal: scale without losing relevance.

Consistency without uniformity.
Efficiency without bureaucracy.

It sounds simple. In practice, it’s one of the hardest tensions to resolve in modern marketing.

The global vs. local challenge isn’t new, but it’s becoming more urgent. As brands expand across markets, channels, and cultures, the question is no longer whether you should scale globally, but how you do so without erasing the nuance that makes marketing effective in the first place.

Everyone is looking for this balance. Very few get it right.

Feb 11, 2026

EPTVI Initiative launches Stage Two to help programmatic TV scale across Europe’s largest advertising markets

Broadcasters, streamers, agencies and ad tech companies including Google Ad Manager, Equativ, Adform, LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, FreeWheel and Cape.io begin work on practical solutions to reduce complexity and speed up adoption.

Feb 4, 2026

The guardrails of growth: Why creative intelligence demands compliance

Generative AI can produce thousands of creative variants, but most compliance systems are still manual, fragmented, and reactive, unable to keep pace with today’s velocity. To move fast without breaking things, the industry needs a new approach: real-time verification, programmatic enforcement, and end-to-end visibility. Embedded inside the stack, not bolted on at the end.

News

Stay ahead of the curve

Curious about the latest in marketing and advertising?
Subscribe to our monthly Promarketers newsletter.

Mar 18, 2026

No more chocolate at breakfast? Navigating the new LHF ad rules this Easter

As ad compliance requirements evolve in 2026, UK confectionery brands face new restrictions on less healthy food (LHF) advertising. With the January 5 watershed now in effect, ad quality assurance systems must validate timing, placement, and product identifiability to avoid clearance failures this Easter season.

Mar 16, 2026

The future of inclusion: How Cape.io powered Virgin Media Television’s fully accessible ad break during the Men’s Six Nations

As Channel 4’s closed-captioning mandate came into effect in March 2026, Cape.io partnered with Virgin Media Television, Omnicom Media Group and VoiceBox to deliver a truly accessible ad break during the Guinness Men’s Six Nations. More than ad compliance, this moment proved that accessibility can operate at the highest level of live sports broadcasting.

Feb 27, 2026

Navigating Channel 4’s 2026 closed caption mandate

As ad compliance requirements tighten across the UK and Europe, closed captioning has evolved from an accessibility checkbox to a strategic necessity. Whether you're managing CTV campaigns or social media creative, automated ad testing for caption quality is no longer optional - it's fundamental to reaching today's fragmented, multi-screen audiences.

The advertising landscape is facing a seismic shift. By March 1, Channel 4 will become the first UK broadcaster to mandate closed captions across all advertising - including linear TV, streaming, and sponsorships.

The mandate is  a redefined standard for global inclusivity. Here is everything you need to know about the new mandate and how to stay ahead of the curve.

Feb 26, 2026

One platform, many realities: How creative automation platforms resolve the global vs. local tension

Scaling global marketing without losing local relevance requires more than brand guidelines and templates - it requires a creative automation platform designed for both global control and local flexibility. Most systems optimize for standardization, but scaling ad creative production across markets demands architecture that enables creative variation and adaptation by local experts without fragmenting brand governance.

Many global advertisers are chasing the same ideal: scale without losing relevance.

Consistency without uniformity.
Efficiency without bureaucracy.

It sounds simple. In practice, it’s one of the hardest tensions to resolve in modern marketing.

The global vs. local challenge isn’t new, but it’s becoming more urgent. As brands expand across markets, channels, and cultures, the question is no longer whether you should scale globally, but how you do so without erasing the nuance that makes marketing effective in the first place.

Everyone is looking for this balance. Very few get it right.

Feb 11, 2026

EPTVI Initiative launches Stage Two to help programmatic TV scale across Europe’s largest advertising markets

Broadcasters, streamers, agencies and ad tech companies including Google Ad Manager, Equativ, Adform, LiveRamp, The Trade Desk, FreeWheel and Cape.io begin work on practical solutions to reduce complexity and speed up adoption.

Feb 4, 2026

The guardrails of growth: Why creative intelligence demands compliance

Generative AI can produce thousands of creative variants, but most compliance systems are still manual, fragmented, and reactive, unable to keep pace with today’s velocity. To move fast without breaking things, the industry needs a new approach: real-time verification, programmatic enforcement, and end-to-end visibility. Embedded inside the stack, not bolted on at the end.

Get in touch

Let us show you what Cape.io can do.

Intelligent Campaign Automation

Cape.io connects up your team, DAM, ad servers, DSPs, tools, and more, so you don’t need to rip and replace.

Copyright © 2026 Cape.io all rights reserved

English

Get in touch

Let us show you what Cape.io can do.

Intelligent Campaign Automation

Cape.io connects up your team, DAM, ad servers, DSPs, tools, and more, so you don’t need to rip and replace.

Copyright © 2026 Cape.io all rights reserved

English

Get in touch

Let us show you what Cape.io can do.

Intelligent Campaign Automation

Cape.io connects up your team, DAM, ad servers, DSPs, tools, and more, so you don’t need to rip and replace.

Copyright © 2026 Cape.io all rights reserved

English