Before handing off a finished TV commercial, match the approved cut and its spot identifier to the receiving outlet’s current delivery instructions. Assign someone to send the file and someone to confirm acceptance. Keep a record of the exact export, where it went and what the recipient acknowledged, especially when several versions or replacements are in circulation.
Start with the actual destination
Ask the media team which outlet or delivery service will receive each version and where to get its current requirements. A file that plays correctly in a creative review may still need a different wrapper, audio layout, caption setup or slate for the intended receiver. A slate is an identifying screen that may be required as part of the delivery file. Use the destination’s instructions to decide whether one belongs in the export and what it should say.
For example, CNN International’s television delivery page describes requirements for its media center, including what goes on a slate. CBC’s commercial delivery instructions describe its own file, caption and commercial ID procedures. Use examples like these to understand what to ask your receiver. When the placement goes elsewhere, ask that receiver which instructions apply.
Ideally the media team supplies the requirements before finishing starts. If a placement comes in after the spot is approved, give finishing the new destination and check whether a separate export needs to be added. Bolt’s overview of commercial video production explains where delivery fits in the wider scope of producing an ad.
Match the export to the approved creative and placement
Create a shared record with one entry per destination and version. Include the version or duration the media team ordered, the identifier required by the receiver, the approved file name, who approved the creative and the person responsible for sending it. Include the reference to the destination’s current instructions and an agreed delivery deadline. Where an outlet requires additional documentation, the media team should identify who obtains it and where it goes.
Suppose a brand has a general version and a version with a different end card for one market. The difference might appear only in the closing moments. A filename such as “final new” makes the sender open files and guess. A shared record can say which market gets which end card, which export corresponds to it and who confirmed the pairing. Keep the creative label that people recognize alongside the identifier the receiver expects.
Ask the finishing reviewer to open the actual export and watch through the end. Check that the picture, language, offer and end card match the approved version, and that the export includes the audio and caption setup required for that delivery. If captions are part of the placement, review them against the exact export before the sender hands it off.
Give acceptance an owner
The person who sends the commercial should know what evidence shows it reached the right stage. A transfer confirmation may only say that the file arrived. The receiver may then confirm whether the file meets its requirements. The media team should separately confirm how the accepted file has been assigned to the intended placement. Those are different questions, and different people may be able to answer them.
Agree who follows up if a confirmation is missing and who receives a rejection or request for changes. In the handoff record, note the receiver’s response and the affected version. A technical issue may go back to finishing. A mismatch between the delivered creative and the media order may need the media team to confirm which version should run before a new file is made.
Keep that boundary clear when discussing commercial production and finishing. The scope can specify who prepares exports, who checks them against the supplied instructions and who submits and follows up with each destination.
Treat a replacement as a new handoff decision
If a date, end card or line of dialogue changes, start with the recipient’s replacement process. Ask whether the change needs a different identifier, who should withdraw or supersede the earlier file and whether the media team must update its instructions. Keep the old entry visible as superseded and link it to the new one. Verify which version the receiver accepted after the correction.
For a last-minute issue, identify both the file and the order it belongs to when contacting the recipient. Tell the finishing and media teams whether the earlier version was merely transferred or already accepted. That context helps each person know which action is still theirs.
Is creative approval enough to send the spot?
Creative approval confirms the chosen edit. Before sending, match that edit to the destination’s current instructions, check the exact export and confirm who will record technical acceptance. Ask the media team to verify that the accepted version is assigned to the intended placement.
If you are planning a commercial or preparing its final versions, send the destination list and any specifications you already have to brian@boltworldwide.com.
