Audience Intelligence and Media Planning Insights | TelmarHelixa

How a European Network Mastered Real-Time Ad Spot Allocation

Written by TelmarHelixa | March 5, 2025

The Situation

Optimizing Airtime Across Multiple Markets

A large European broadcaster manages two flagship channels distributed in over 50 countries. Naturally, the network delivers content in multiple languages, but programming is especially complex due to live sports events that require flexible, real-time scheduling and audience-specific localization.

The Challenge

Wrangling With Real-Time Spot Allocation

The broadcaster’s sales model involves spot placements and sponsorships across various territories, with specific campaigns designated for individual countries. The inventory includes pan-European campaigns, which take priority, and local advertising spots sold on a short lead time.

Sports broadcasting, particularly live sports events, adds complexity due to unpredictable event durations and occasional cancellations or postponements. For example, tennis matches rarely adhere to a strict schedule, and sudden weather changes can impact winter sports.

These variables require high agility and flexibility in inventory management, which differs significantly from standard, fixed inventory models in traditional broadcast operations.

The Solution

Looking for Speed, Flexibility, and Performance

After evaluating multiple solutions, TelmarHelixa’s Adloc was selected for its near “off-the-shelf” configurability and proven ability to integrate with existing systems.

From the outset, the broadcaster established several key objectives they wanted to achieve:

  1. Real-time spot allocation across international and local markets
  2. Maximized inventory utilization during premium events
  3. Flexibility for customized, country-specific airtime distribution
  4. Enhanced inventory management and revenue optimization

Adloc was seamlessly connected with the network’s ad sales and traffic systems, facilitating real-time, synchronized workflows between sales, traffic, and inventory allocation. The advanced algorithms powering Adloc enabled this complex network to automate previously manual, labor-intensive processes, resulting in faster campaign implementations and better inventory utilization.