Atrium (atrium.run) is a TV ad buying platform for streaming, connected TV, and local broadcast: buy premium and local TV ads in a few minutes.
Atrium has no contract, no minimum, no insertion order and no setup fees, and you can go live the same afternoon. A traditional TV ad agency charges for planning, buying and production on top of the airtime, and works on a slower timeline, but it earns that fee when you need a large creative production or someone to run the whole program for you.
This post compares the two on cost, speed and fees. Atrium's numbers come from Atrium's pricing. For agencies, where fees vary widely by firm, we describe the models in words and leave the quotes to you.
How do TV ad agencies charge?
Agency fees come in a few common forms, and many agencies combine them.
| Model | How it works | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of spend | The agency takes a share of your media budget | What share, and does it rise or fall with spend? |
| Monthly retainer | A fixed fee for planning and buying | What is included each month? |
| Media markup | The agency resells inventory at a higher price than it paid | Is the markup shown in the CPM? |
| Production | The commercial is billed separately | Who owns the finished spot? |
| Minimum commitment | A budget or term required before they take you on | What happens if you want to pause? |
None of this is unusual. It is how agency work is staffed and paid for. The point is that the money you hand over is not all airtime.
How does Atrium charge?
Atrium splits the bill in two, and both parts are on the page.
- The platform is paid by the credit. $20 buys 2,000 credits a month. Each AI action, like a message, report, or analysis, is about 6 credits. You set a monthly limit.
- The TV you air is paid by CPM. Typical CPMs run $18 to $28 depending on inventory and audience layers, and actual delivery varies. Audience layers are priced by what you turn on.
There are no setup fees and no minimums. Your wallet is charged for impressions that actually ran, and whatever you have not spent stays in your wallet. The catch is that there is no catch.
Atrium also pays you back: get 8% cash back for every ad dollar, earned on delivered TV ads and paid monthly once it reaches $25.
How do Atrium and an agency compare side by side?
| Traditional agency | Atrium | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract and minimum | Often both | No contract, no minimum, no insertion order |
| Fees | Percentage of spend, retainer, or markup | Credits for the platform, CPM for the TV you air, no setup fees |
| Time to launch | Planning, approvals and trafficking take time | Buy premium and local TV ads in a few minutes |
| The commercial | Usually billed as a separate production | Made where you buy the air time, in Creative Studio |
| Changes | Through an account manager | Move the budget, add ZIP codes, or swap the spot while the campaign is running |
| Pausing | Depends on the agreement | Delivery stops at the network the moment you press it |
| Reporting | Periodic reports | Impressions, spend, and eCPM as it runs |
| Results | Often reported separately from sales | Every booking, sale and lead is tied to the campaign that earned it |
| Strategy and relationships | A team that plans and negotiates for you | A person when you need one: walkthroughs, and a real expert on a call |
What does a campaign cost each way? An illustration
Here is a worked example using only Atrium's published numbers. It is an illustration, not a result.
Suppose you put $10,000 of ad spend into TV at Atrium's $22 average CPM, the figure the calculator uses. That buys about 454,500 impressions. Add the $20 platform plan, and you receive 8% cash back on the delivered ad spend, which is $800.
With an agency, the same $10,000 of media would sit alongside whichever fee model the agency uses, plus production for the spot. Ask for both in writing before you compare, because the media line alone will look similar while the lines around it will not.
What does the commercial cost and who makes it?
At an agency, the commercial is usually a separate production with its own quote and timeline.
At Atrium, you make the spot where you buy the air time. Describe the commercial and Studio builds it shot by shot on the best video model for each shot, grounded in your brand, with a reference still that keeps your product consistent. You can choose Google Veo 3.1, ByteDance Seedance, Kuaishou Kling, or let Atrium auto-route. It renders at 15 or 30 seconds, finished for broadcast, with your end card and offer added.
If you want a film crew, actors and a custom shoot, that is a job for a production company or an agency. Atrium is built for getting a broadcast-ready spot on air quickly.
When is an agency the better choice?
An agency is a good fit in three situations.
- You want a custom, large-scale commercial production with a crew and cast.
- You want a team to own planning, buying and creative strategy end to end, and you would rather not touch the campaign.
- Your brand needs a broader media plan across many channels, handled by one outside team.
If you want to be hands-off, paying someone to own it is reasonable.
When is Atrium the better choice?
Atrium fits growing businesses, local businesses, service businesses and mid-sized businesses that want to test television without signing a contract, then scale what works.
- You want to start now. Get on television this afternoon.
- You serve a specific area. Narrow by ZIP code, upload your own customer list, or draw the service area on the map. Local TV runs through all 210 U.S. markets, with ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliates and 200+ local news stations. See Supply.
- You want to prove it worked. Hold households back so you can prove the ads worked. Leads, calls and form fills are counted, not modeled. See Atrium Intelligence.
- You want to adjust as you go. Change the budget, pause, or swap the spot without a request cycle.
The platform runs in five steps: set the goal, pick the networks, target the household, make the spot, and run and report. You pick the networks and the households, make the spot, and go live. For the audience side, see Audience.
Can the two work together?
Yes. A business can run its day-to-day TV on Atrium and still bring in an agency for a one-off brand production. Atrium's reporting shows what each campaign returned, which gives both sides the same facts to work from.
Brands already on TV at scale can also apply for Chat TV, which turns a TV spot into a text conversation. It is by application, at atrium.run/apply.
FAQ
How much does a TV advertising agency charge?
It depends on the agency. Common models are a percentage of media spend, a monthly retainer, or a markup on media, plus production billed separately. Ask for each line in writing.
Does Atrium have a minimum or a contract?
No. There is no contract, no minimum, and no insertion order, and whatever you have not spent stays in your wallet. See pricing.
Do I need an agency to advertise on TV?
No. Atrium lets you pick the networks and the households, make the spot, and go live on premium and local TV yourself, with a real expert on a call when you want one.
What should I ask a TV agency before signing?
Ask how they are paid including any media markup, what the minimum commitment is, which networks your ads will run on, how results are measured, and who owns the commercial.
Ready to get more customers from TV? Start at atrium.run/platform.