The joint broadcaster copy instructions, delivery and approval timetable has been agreed by Channel 4, ITV and Sky, for the 2025 Christmas and New Year period.
Make a note of the linear and VOD deadlines, for any campaigns airing around this time, to avoid any last minute stress or surcharges.
Linear deadlines
| Linear airdate | Instructions, copy approval and delivery by EOP |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 3rd December | Friday 28th November |
| Thursday 4th December | Friday 28th November |
| Friday 5th December | Friday 28th November |
| Saturday 6th December | Tuesday 2nd December |
| Sunday 7th December | Tuesday 2nd December |
| Monday 8th December | Wednesday 3rd December |
| Tuesday 9th December | Wednesday 3rd December |
| Wednesday 10th December | Thursday 4th December |
| Thursday 11th December | Thursday 4th December |
| Friday 12th December | Friday 5th December |
| Saturday 13th December | Friday 5th December |
| Sunday 14th December | Monday 8th December |
| Monday 15th December | Monday 8th December |
| Tuesday 16th December | Tuesday 9th December |
| Wednesday 17th December | Tuesday 9th December |
| Thursday 18th December | Wednesday 10th December |
| Friday 19th December | Wednesday 10th December |
| Saturday 20th December | Thursday 11th December |
| Sunday 21st December | Thursday 11th December |
| Monday 22nd December | Friday 12th December |
| Tuesday 23rd December | Friday 12th December |
| Wednesday 24th December * (Clearcast closed) | Monday 15th December |
| Thursday 25th December ** | Monday 15th December |
| Friday 26th December ** | Tuesday 16th December |
| Saturday 27th December | Tuesday 16th December |
| Sunday 28th December | Tuesday 16th December |
| Monday 29th December | Wednesday 17th December |
| Tuesday 30th December | Wednesday 17th December |
| Wednesday 31st December | Thursday 18th December |
| Thursday 1st January ** | Thursday 18th December |
| Friday 2nd January | Friday 19th December |
| Saturday 3rd January | Friday 19th December |
| Sunday 4th January | Monday 22nd December |
| Monday 5th January | Monday 22nd December |
Bank Holiday **
Additional day Clearcast is closed *
VOD deadlines
| Copy rotations, tracking tags and copy changes | Need to be received by EOP |
|---|---|
| Between Monday 22nd December 2025 – Monday 5th January 2026 | Thursday 11th December |
Notes from the Broadcasters
- Linear copy instructions should be supplied at least two clear working days before transmission.
- Linear copy should be delivered at least two clear working days before transmission to avoid a late delivery surcharge.
- Copy received dates are to avoid late copy surcharges being applied by some broadcasters.
- ‘UK broadcasters’ are represented by: ITV, Sky Media and Channel 4.
- Agencies with clients that find these deadlines unworkable should contact individual broadcaster sales representatives directly to agree on your needs.
Notes from Clearcast
- To comply with these deadlines make sure that your factor in additional time for clearance approval.
- Approval should be before or by the delivery date.
- Two clear working days are required for video approval and we advise that you leave at least two weeks for full clearance.
- On the working day before a bank holiday (or office closure) our clearance service shuts down when the broadcasters have received all the cleared copy (our delivery service remains open). We’ll always post on LinkedIn about early closing.
- If you’re using Clearcast Delivery to deliver your ad, you can deliver your clocked ads to the broadcasters while your copy is awaiting approval.
- If you’ll be busy over the festive period, Clearcast Commercial Services can handle things on your behalf.
- For guaranteed feedback within 24 hours (for eligible ads), consider Fast Track.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us.