Wandsworth, London, UK. February 10th 2026 – Independent, local video production company BearJam says small businesses can now afford TV advertising to expand their marketing efforts.
According to ad-spend provider Guideline, UK advertising spend is forecast to grow by 5.5% in 2026, with connected TV expected to rise by 15%. With rising costs across paid social and digital channels, many small businesses are now exploring TV advertising as a more controlled and measurable way to reach local audiences.
David Sanderson, Director of Business Development at Sky Media, said, “More than 4,000 businesses have already advertised on TV for the first time with Sky. Adsmart from Sky gives brands of any size access to the UK’s most trusted and impactful advertising platform, enabling them to reach the right audiences, build fame, and accelerate business growth.”
By utilising Sky AdSmart and a local production company, businesses can now get more for their money, allowing them to reduce creative costs while maintaining broadcast-quality standards suitable for TV placement.
“Where TV advertising used to cost £200k, it can now be done for £20k, opening up more opportunities for businesses that haven’t had that kind of exposure before.” Said James Hilditch, Founder and Creative Director at BearJam.
BearJam says these lower budgets are increasingly achievable by combining addressable TV placement with locally produced creative, rather than traditional national broadcast campaigns.
Now, £20k can get businesses:
- A professionally produced, broadcast-ready TV advert (typically 20–30 seconds), created with TV compliance in mind
- A lean, local shoot schedule (often 1 day) with a small crew to keep production efficient
- Edit, sound mix, and delivery in the formats required for TV placement
- Support with Clearcast-ready assets and guidance on approvals
- A starter media test on addressable TV (e.g., Sky AdSmart) targeting specific postcodes and audience profiles
- Performance reporting to understand reach and frequency, and to inform the next round of spend
- Optional cutdowns/versions for social and digital, so the same creative works across channels
“TV used to feel like a walled garden. You needed big budgets, big agencies, and you were often paying for reach you didn’t actually need. What’s changed is that small businesses can now target the right postcodes, measure performance properly, and produce creative locally without compromising on broadcast quality.
When you combine addressable TV platforms like Sky AdSmart with a local production partner, that £20k budget can start to cover both the media placement and a properly crafted TV-ready ad. And because you’re not trying to speak to the whole country, you can focus on a clear message, a local audience, and a plan you can actually build on.
The opportunity isn’t ‘TV for TV’s sake’. It’s TV as a credible, high-attention channel that sits alongside digital, and often gives you more control than people assume.” Added James Hilditch.
The shift highlights how changes in technology and production models are reshaping who can access traditionally high-cost advertising channels, and BearJam are expecting more small businesses to capitalise on this newfound opportunity.
ENDS