Delivery Ops
CTV campaign delivery operations
Run an Australian CTV booking from creative acceptance through delivery checks, impression reconciliation and shortfall resolution.
Run a CTV campaign against one operating record: what was booked, which creative can serve, what has delivered and which count governs payment. Check each supplier before launch, investigate delivery gaps while there is time to act, and reconcile the final reports before agreeing to a remedy.
Turn the booking into an operating record
For each supplier, record the agreed quantity or other goal, dates and time zone, Australian locations, eligible TV inventory, creative duration, price basis and reporting fields. Mark the volume as a commitment, forecast or auction opportunity. A forecast or access to bid is not a guaranteed impression balance.
Keep the booking reference beside any deal and line-item IDs. Record permitted substitutions and who can approve them. If a package covers several services, distinguish required inventory from inventory the seller may change.
| Stage | Decision | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Before launch | Can each booked placement serve the intended creative? | Asset ID, supplier requirements and acceptance status |
| During delivery | Is the buy on course within the agreed scope? | Dated report, forecast and approved changes |
| At close | What qualifies as delivered and billable? | Reconciled reports, counting terms and invoice treatment |
Clear the creative path
Confirm with the responsible platform or supplier that the actual file or tag assigned to each booking is cleared to serve.
Allow time for correction and another review. Nine's published 9Now in-stream VAST specification calls for submission at least five business days before launch. That deadline applies to the specified format, so check the requirements attached to every other placement separately.
For 9Now VAST placements, Nine directs advertisers to its Acceptance Policy for submission guidance and Brand Safety Policy for monitoring and blocking information. Confirm these policy handoffs with the supplier.
Key CTV Delivery Requirements in Australia
- Submission Deadline (9Now)
- 5 business days before launch
- Creative Format
- VAST 4.0 compliant
- Brand Safety Policy
- Required for all placements; enforced via policy handoff with supplier
- Acceptance Policy
- Mandatory for ad file approval and delivery eligibility
Monitor delivery and approve changes
Compare cumulative delivery with the agreed goal and remaining flight. Inspect dates, inventory groups and creative IDs where reports permit. A slow start may reflect creative status, limited eligible inventory, targeting, pacing or bidding. Ask the responsible buyer or seller to identify the constraint before changing the plan.
A forecast is an estimate. During a live campaign, seek current delivery evidence and a dated recovery proposal from the supplier. Approve changes to required geography, audience or TV inventory before they take effect.
Reconcile the close
Align the booking's impression definition, dates, time zone and eligible inventory with the reports. Keep seller, buyer and verification counts separate until their methods and scope are understood. Reporting latency, filtering and different counting points can create discrepancies; a mismatch is not automatically a contractual shortfall.
Use the count that controls under the agreement to determine any committed shortfall. If one remains, assess replacement delivery or a billing adjustment against the campaign's purpose and the applicable terms. Record the final qualifying count, unresolved differences, approved substitutions, remedy and invoice treatment. Impressions establish delivery under a stated method; they do not identify who watched or prove a business outcome.
Delivery Verification: Seller vs Buyer vs Verification Counts
- Seller CountReported by the platform; may include filtered or aggregated data. Subject to internal counting rules.
- Buyer CountInternal tracking based on campaign settings and bid activity. May differ due to timing or filtering.
- Verification CountThird-party measurement (e.g., Nielsen, Comscore) used to validate delivery. Often delayed but more independent.
In this guide
- Checking creative acceptance before the booked start dateCheck deadlines, review status and line assignment so each booked CTV placement has an accepted creative before launch.
- Managing several ad versions across streaming suppliersKeep CTV versions, supplier approvals, rotation instructions and creative-level delivery aligned in one register.
- Reconciling booked and delivered impressionsMatch a CTV commitment to in-scope delivery and investigate reporting differences before confirming a shortfall or invoice.
- Negotiating makegoods after CTV underdeliveryUse a confirmed CTV shortfall and booking terms to assess replacement inventory, timing, fees and billing adjustments.
