Making a TV commercial is one part creativity, one part logistics and one part compliance, and the third part is the one that surprises first-time advertisers. Getting a TVC to air in WA involves steps that simply do not exist for online video: classification, broadcast specifications and network delivery. Here is the whole journey in plain terms, from concept to the moment your ad plays in a Perth lounge room.
Concept and script
Everything starts with a single idea that can survive 15 or 30 seconds. Broadcast durations are unforgiving, so TVC writing is subtraction: one audience, one message, one feeling, one call to action. Expect scripts to be presented alongside a treatment, a document that shows how the idea will look and sound, because at these durations, tone does as much work as words. This is also the moment to decide which cut-down family you need, a 30 with a 15 second version is a common and efficient combination.
Pre-production and approvals
TVC pre-production runs like any serious production, casting, locations, wardrobe, art department, shot lists and schedules, with one addition: claims checking. Anything the ad asserts, fastest, cheapest, number one, needs to be substantiated, and certain categories such as therapeutic goods, alcohol and gambling carry additional rules of their own. Sorting the substance of your claims at script stage is far cheaper than discovering a problem after the shoot. If your product sits in a regulated category, flag it early so the timeline can allow for it.
The shoot
Commercial shoots are dense. A day might produce only a handful of scripted setups, but each one is crafted, lighting, art direction, performance, repeated takes, because every frame will be seen many times by design. Repetition is where TVCs differ most from documentary-style corporate work: an ad that runs for weeks must reward a tenth viewing, not just a first one.
Post-production and broadcast specs
The edit, grade, sound mix and graphics follow the same craft as any film, but the delivery target is stricter. Australian broadcast requires specific file formats, and critically, audio mixed to the free-to-air loudness standard, which is why a TVC mix is done properly in post rather than exported from an edit timeline with fingers crossed. Legal supers, the fine print on screen, must meet legibility expectations, and end frames need to hold long enough to be read. None of this is difficult for a production company that delivers to broadcast regularly, all of it is a trap for one that does not.
Classification: getting a CAD number
Before a commercial can go to air on Australian free-to-air television it must be classified, a process handled through the industry classification body, ClearAds. The ad is submitted for review, assessed against the relevant codes, and issued a CAD number and classification that tells networks when the ad may be scheduled. Most straightforward business commercials move through quickly, while ads with claims or regulated products take longer. Your production company or media agency manages the submission, but build the step into your timeline rather than treating it as a formality on the last day.
Delivery: how the ad actually reaches the stations
Finished, mixed and classified, the TVC is delivered to networks electronically through a broadcast delivery service such as Peach. The spot is uploaded once with its CAD details and key number, an identifier that matches your media booking, then distributed to every station on the media schedule in the format each requires. Your media agency books the airtime, the delivery platform moves the file, and the two meet in the traffic department of each network.
How long does all this take?
From approved concept to on-air, a comfortable TVC timeline is measured in weeks, allowing for casting and pre-production, the shoot, post, classification and delivery, plus your own approval rounds. It can compress when it must, but compression removes contingency, and broadcast deadlines are the least forgiving kind. If a campaign launch date exists, work backwards from it early, ideally before the script is finalised.
First-campaign mistakes to avoid
A few patterns catch first-time TV advertisers repeatedly. Booking airtime before the production timeline is agreed, which turns classification and delivery into a panic rather than a process. Writing claims into the script that nobody can substantiate when the classification questions arrive. Skipping the 15 second cut to save money, then paying for a new edit when the media plan wants it after all. End frames that flash past, if the phone number matters, it needs to hold on screen long enough to be read aloud. And treating the mix as an afterthought, broadcast loudness compliance is not optional, and a non-compliant file bounces at the worst possible moment. Every one of these is avoidable with sequencing: creative, then classification, then media locked, then delivery, with contingency between the steps.
It is also worth saying plainly that none of this should land on the client. A production company that delivers to broadcast regularly carries the checklist in its bones, flags regulated-category questions at script stage, and hands your media agency a compliant file with days to spare. If the process feels chaotic, that is diagnostic.
We produce broadcast-ready commercials from Perth, including the classification and delivery steps, as part of our commercial production service. If a TVC is on your roadmap, tell us about the campaign and we will map the timeline and budget tiers for you.
