DRTV In 2026: Making Response TV Pay When Airtime Costs More
Airtime prices are up about 20% and budgets are at a nine-year high. How direct-response advertisers can keep cost per response under control this winter.
Direct-response TV lives or dies on one number: what each call, click or sale costs. In 2026 that number is under pressure. ITV1’s average adult cost per thousand was up about 20% year on year from January to August, and the IPA Bellwether report put main media budget revisions at a nine-year high. More money chasing the same airtime pushes prices up for everyone, and response advertisers feel it first.
Why rising prices hurt DRTV more
A brand campaign can absorb a price rise by accepting slightly less reach. A response campaign cannot: if airtime costs 20% more and response rates stay the same, cost per response rises by 20%. The only ways to fix that are cheaper airtime, better response, or both.
In DRTV, a spot is only cheap if the phone rings.
Where the value still is
- Daytime and off-peak. Response audiences are often at home in the day, and daytime airtime is better value than peak.
- Shorter spots, tested properly. A 20-second edit costs less than a 30-second ad and can deliver most of its response, but the saving depends on each station’s spot-length factor, and only testing proves the response for your offer.
- Smaller channels. Digital channels with loyal audiences often deliver a lower cost per response than the big stations, even at lower ratings.
- BVOD with clear calls to action. Streaming lets you target more tightly, and viewers watching on a big screen with a phone in hand will still respond to a strong number or URL.
New options from the sales houses
Channel 4 Sales has announced Instant Re4ch for January: same-evening peak spots across Channel 4, Channel 5, UKTV and Paramount channels, plus 48-hour boosts on streaming and YouTube. It is built for big launches, not for steady response trading, but the 48-hour streaming boosts could suit an offer with a hard deadline. Check the cost per response before treating any bundle as a bargain.
Measure every week
DRTV is the one form of TV where you should be changing the schedule as you go. Match calls and web visits to spot times, cut stations and dayparts that don’t respond, and put the money into those that do. If your buyer reports monthly, you are probably paying for underperforming spots for weeks longer than you need to.
The independent buyer’s view
Response trading is detailed, weekly work, and it is where a small specialist usually beats a large agency: the same senior person reads the data, renegotiates and moves the money. Our DRTV buying guide covers attribution and call tracking in more depth.
Independent, senior TV buying advice for UK advertisers — no unnecessary agency layers. Get a clear view of what to buy, why it is worth buying and what a fair price looks like.
Contact Matt Way