ABC. CBS. NBC. SCIFI. FOX. What do all these stations have in common Aside from being television stations, they also all have a website. Each website has to do with the stations and all the programs they offer. There is another thing in common, they are a standard place for major companies to advertise. For example ABC allows full episodes of everyone's favorite line up to be viewed with little commercial interruptions. You can pull up a site click what you want to watch and there you go. You can't escape the commercials though. They are added during a break in the guise of a buffering program that will keep the episode running smoothly.

So what is the cost for vendors to advertise on such sites Some websites like ABC for example have set costs for Banners at $15.00 Net CPM's and streaming video adds are $35.00. That means that ABC gets paid $35.00 every time the add runs. Since websites are a 24 hour 7 day a week enterprise, this literally adds up to millions a year brought in by advertising on the web.

Each website has a set of guide lines the advertiser must adhere to. For example here are a few of the guidelines many of the sites have in common

The advertising content must be clearly identifiable as an advertisement, as opposed to just a link within the site content. Another set of familiar guidelines were creative. Though many of the sites do not state how the ad must look, they do state the adds must fall into certain creative and technical parameters. Finally another standard guideline is about the URL. The add must link to two standard items; the first being the link to a privacy policy and the other to a live website for the product. When you contact a major television website you must make sure you get a list of all the set guidelines and if you have any questions your ad contact will be able to guide you in the correct direction.

Another portion of the guidelines is established for FLASH. For those less technically minded FLASH is a program used for graphics and animation on the web. Web designers use it for various things such as long-form animations and compacting navigation interfaces. They use it to add the WOW factor on the sites they design.

When you want to advertise on any of the major network websites be sure to have read all the contract information and guidelines available. The information is available on the websites including contact information. Some of the major television websites will have access to a demographics page. Read this page. This will give you information on things such as gender, income, age and education. This is necessary information for you to use. This ensures you are reaching the correct market for your website.

As with any form of advertising, you want it to be memorable while representing what you are offering. The goal is to make people want to link to your site at a glance. So have fun with this.