Finland’s commercial TV broadcasters spent the past year developing a carbon emissions measurement framework for linear TV advertising, starting with no local methodology and ending with a validated model owned by an industry body. For markets facing the same challenge, the experience offers a useful reference point.
Start narrow, then scale
The project focused exclusively on linear TV rather than attempting a cross-channel solution from the outset. This kept the scope manageable and delivered results sooner.
- Identify the most tractable part first.
- Build and validate a formula for that medium before expanding.
- Use early progress to secure support.
- Plan for other channels once the baseline is in place.
Local data matters
“The idea was to create something that fits the market and local environment, and make progress in a way that is practical and useful for the industry,” said Jonne Ansamaa, Product Owner at Sanoma.
Global Media Sustainability Framework’s (GMSF) default electricity emission factor is twice the actual Finnish figure. Applying the correct local value cuts calculated emissions in half. Markets should not assume global defaults reflect their own infrastructure and energy mix accurately.
Collaborate, don’t do it alone
Calculating emissions differently from other local broadcasters offered no competitive advantage. Sanoma Media Finland initiated the project, but it became a joint effort at an early stage. MTV, Sanoma, and Warner Bros. Discovery developed the framework together, with a working group focused on a clear objective: a single, transparent standard for measuring the carbon footprint of TV advertising (see their press release).
The collaboration produced a more impactful model than any single organisation could have built independently. Anchoring the framework within Screenforce Finland, the commercial TV marketing body, gave it market-wide legitimacy and credibility.
Be transparent
The GMSF was not built with every market’s infrastructure in mind. In Finland, the centralised ad delivery system Spotgate sits outside the framework’s calculation model. Rather than forcing a workaround, the team excluded that element and documented the limitation transparently, keeping the model GMSF-compliant without overstating its scope.
The industry goal is a single, cross-channel figure
Advertisers and agencies seek a number that covers their scope 3 emissions across all channels, from a single source. Finland’s TV framework is a practical first step. The logical next step is a central coordinating entity to manage a unified, cross-channel methodology.
egta members can watch a recording of Jonne Ansamaa’s presentation here.
Source: egta.com
OTHER CASE STUDIES
M6 UNLIMITED TESTS AI SPOT CREATION FOR SMALLER TV AND STREAMING ADVERTISERS
22. 5. 2026M6 Unlimited is building a simpler route into TV and streaming advertising for smaller and newer advertisers. Its offer combines a dedicated SME buying path through its future ad manager, lower entry budgets, support across strategy, creative production and measurement. During a POC with Waymark, M6 Unlimited explored how to reduce the cost and complexity… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (2/2)
22. 5. 2026The strategic response: the TV advertising paradox. The TV Advertising Paradox did not begin as a creative idea in search of a problem. It emerged as the strategic response to what the market review revealed. At the centre of the response sat a contradiction that could not be ignored. Linear television was being described as… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
A BIG-SCREEN STUDY FINDS STRONGER ATTENTION ON TV4 PLAY THAN ON YOUTUBE
24. 4. 2026TV4 just launched its third attention study, comparing the viewing experience on its streaming service (TV4 Play) with YouTube’s big screen experience at home. It confirms once again the assumption that the streaming environment provided by a qualitative TV network (BVOD) delivers a much bigger attention than UGC platforms, such as YouTube. An at-home test… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (1/2)
24. 4. 2026In late 2024, ThinkTV New Zealand, under the leadership of Jacqueline Freeman, GM Communications, undertook a full market review to understand how television was being perceived, valued, and used across the New Zealand marketing ecosystem. This was a broad diagnostic rather than a simple pulse check. It drew on perspectives from CMOs, CFOs, insights people,… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
31. 3. 2026Finland’s commercial TV broadcasters spent the past year developing a carbon emissions measurement framework for linear TV advertising, starting with no local methodology and ending with a validated model owned by an industry body. For markets facing the same challenge, the experience offers a useful reference point. Start narrow, then scale The project focused exclusively… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
A NEW WAY FOR FRANCETV PUBLICITÉ TO SELL CONTEXTUAL VIDEO ADVERTISING
27. 3. 2026FranceTV Publicité (FTP), the advertising sales house for French public television, has introduced Context.IA into its digital video offer. The solution uses programme context to decide when an ad should appear, instead of relying only on fixed scheduling. That makes Context.IA a new commercial tool inside FranceTV Publicité’s own video inventory. Context.IA links programme cues… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
BUILDING A SHOPPABLE, ATTENTION-READY CTV OFFER: THE BIG BROTHER CONTEXTUAL CASE
26. 3. 2026In 2025, Paramount Australia, in partnership with FreeWheel and egta, hosted a webinar outlining a forward-looking view of the evolving advertising market. One key topic explored the industry’s shift to pull-based discovery, experience-driven engagement, and frictionless content-commerce integration. Paramount Australia’s Contextual Advertising Suite directly responds to these trends, reinforcing the company’s leadership in premium CTV… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
GLOBO CREATES HOME SCREEN PROMINENCE FOR FREE-TO-AIR TV ON SMART TVS
26. 2. 2026Globo, Brazil’s largest commercial TV group, is rolling out DTV+, a next-generation free-to-air TV standard designed for connected TVs. It brings broadcast channels into the TV operating system, with app-like navigation, login and interactive layers placed directly on top of live programming. The move fits Brazil’s viewing reality. Linear TV accounts for 57.9% of total… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
THE VISUAL TRANSFER EFFECT: HOW SOUND BUILDS BRANDS
24. 2. 2026In collaboration with neuro-marketing agency Unravel, Talpa Media has produced the scientific proof that audio does not just complement TV. It actively reactivates it, reconstructing visual brand memories in the consumer’s mind through sound. The findings carry significant implications for how audio is planned, sold, and valued within the wider media mix. Context Talpa Media… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
RMB TURNS QR CODE VOTING INTO A SHARED VIEWING MOMENT THAT STRENGTHS BRAND IMAGE FOR SPRITE AND DELI CHOC
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives The chocolate snack Deli Choc and soft drink Sprite brands worked with RMB to reach younger audiences by becoming part of Belgian hip-hop show “PLAYGROUND”, supporting new rap talent through a live QR vote and cross-platform content. This helps the brands appear as enablers of the format rather than separate ads. For RMB… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
CANADIAN SUPERSTAR ANDREW PHUNG HELPS VIA RAIL CHALLENGE CAR CONVENIENCE ASSUMPTIONS WITH LONG-FORM STORYTELLING ACROSS CBC’S TV ECOSYSTEM
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives VIA Rail, the company operating Canada’s national passenger rail service, combined a new product launch with brand building, using long-form content to tackle misconceptions that tend to block conversion in travel: comfort, ease, and whether rail feels like a realistic alternative to driving for intercity trips. The objectives behind this campaign were to… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
HOW L’ORÉAL PARIS AND RTL MADE STREET HARASSMENT HARD TO IGNORE
24. 2. 2026Context Sexual harassment in public spaces is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence in the world. Two figures frame the issue: 80% of women have experienced street harassment, but 85% of people say they lack training on how to intervene. Ad Alliance and L’Oréal created a campaign to respond to this problem… Continue reading AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET