GLOSSARY OF CABLE ADVERTISING TERMS

AD-SUPPORTED NETWORK
A national or regional cable TV channel, such as ESPN, that makes available a certain amount of time per hour for local commercials.

ANALOG
The most commonly used frequency for transmitting video content. Commercials stored on videotape, for instance, use an analog format. A more recent technology involves the conversion of analog content to a digital, or computer-based, format.

AVAIL (OR AVAILABILITY)
A break within normal network programming allotted to a local cable system for insertion of local commercials.

BASIC CABLE
Cable TV channels that are typically packaged and made available to a wide number of subscribing households. Basic channels usually are advertiser-supported.

BICYCLING
The physical transportation of commercials from site to site via messenger or courier.

CABLE SYSTEM
The local operation that distributes cable TV channels, usually over a combination of fiber optic and coaxial wires, to subscribing households.

COST PER PERSON
Commonly referred to as "CPP," this number describes the relationship between the cost of a television commercial and the estimated number of people or households who view it.

COVERAGE AREA
The geographic territory in which a cable system distributes commercials.

CUMULATIVE AUDIENCE
A research term describing the unduplicated audience for a television program or commercial over multiple airings. In cumulative audience figures, an individual is counted only once.

DIGITAL CABLE
A collection of channels, typically distributed to subscribers as an add-on package, which are transmitted initially in the form of binary code.

DIGITAL INSERTION
A technology for converting standard videotaped commercials into binary computer files for improved on-screen display, storage and run rate accuracy.

FIBER OPTICS
High-capacity, extremely reliable cables that carry multiple television channels over thin, glass strands.

FRANCHISE AREA
The geographic boundary in which a cable system, or group of systems, provides service. A franchise area is typically determined by municipal, county or other local government territories.

FREQUENCY
The number of times the same viewer sees your commercial. Often used in tandem with "reach," or the number of different viewers who see your commercial, to describe the impact of an advertising campaign.

HEADEND
The central receiving and processing station where a cable system collects various program signals and retransmits them to subscribing households.

HOUSEHOLD
The core measure of circulation for a cable TV system. Typically, cable companies collect a monthly subscription fee from each household served. In addition to detached homes, apartment units are usually counted as individual households.

HOUSEHOLD PENETRATION
The percentage of households within a cable TV service area that elect to subscribe. If 7,500 homes within a 10,000-household service area subscribe, the household penetration level would be expressed as 75 percent.

HUT (HOUSEHOLDS USING TELEVISION)
An estimate of the number of households within a specified coverage area which are viewing any television programming during a specified time.

INFOMERCIAL
A televised advertisement for a product or service, typically running over a longer period of time than a standard 30-second commercial.

INTERCONNECT
A collection of two or more cable TV systems that work together to distribute commercials to a wider geographic area than either system, individually, would otherwise reach.

LOCAL ORIGINATION
Programs produced by or under the auspices of a local cable system, for local audiences.Multiple System Operator (MSO): A cable television company that operates more than one cable system.

PAY CABLE
Channels, such as Home Box OfficeTM, available for an extra fee at the discretion of cable TV subscribers.

PENETRATION
See "household penetration."

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Information about markets and viewers that focuses on attitudes, behaviors and demographic composition.

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
Information about markets and viewers that focuses on the relative size of audiences.

REACH
The number of different people or households exposed to your television commercial. Often used in tandem with "frequency," or the number of times the same viewer sees your ad, to describe the impact of an advertising campaign.

REGIONAL SPORTS
Refers to cable TV channels distributed in a regional area and carrying a mix of area professional and amateur sports teams, plus some national programming.

REP FIRM
An outside sales agent contracted by a cable system to manage relationships with certain advertisers, typically those outside of the local system service area.

SHARE OF AUDIENCE
The percentage of the total television audience (within a defined universe) viewing a selected program or programming source. Cable television's total-day share of audience within U.S. cable-subscribing households, for example, exceeds 40 percent.

SPOT CABLE
Usually refers to commercial schedules placed on local cable systems by national or regional advertisers who often advertise in multiple cable TV markets.