ITV Commercial is to extend its flexible Advanced Booking (AB) deadlines into 2021, off the back of a successful trial period throughout the Autumn.

As a continuation of the AB policy, developed in consultation with ISBA, clients are no longer charged for approvals up to the month of transmission, with programme choice requests now met up to four weeks away from broadcast.

Offering greater agility for vulnerable sectors, ITV will also extend the no-charge recommittal window for travel, tourism, theatre and film sectors, until the end of the first quarter of 2021, in response to tightened restrictions around travel and the implementation of local lockdowns. This approach will also be adopted for any other businesses who are prevented from trading throughout the pandemic.

Where Government policy prevents businesses from trading, ITV Commercial has pledged to adopt the same prepayment and no-charge approach as in 2020. This means that activity can defer and be recommitted, with no additional charges, once restrictions are eventually relaxed.

Advertisers who do wish to keep to their original AB deadline can continue to do so, retaining the benefits such as daypart, centre breaks, break position, programme choice and discounts, in accordance with their existing deal.

Kelly Williams, Managing Director for Commercial at ITV, said:

“The response to our shift in AB deadlines has been welcomed across the industry, and as such we’re pleased to announce an extension to the policy into 2021. We want all of our advertisers to plan for Q1 with confidence, safe in the knowledge that they have our support where deferments are necessary, as we continue to offer a greater flexibility for all of our clients.”