In an ideal world, digital media buying would be automated, largely standardized, and possible across all channels. In contrast, TV in many places is still characterized by historically grown processes, media breaks, and manual workflows. But the market is changing. CPM models, programmatic approaches, and the growing influence of connected TV are transforming the existing infrastructure. In this interview, Jens Pöppelmann from SQL explains where the biggest gaps in the TV booking workflow lie, why programmatic TV is not yet standard, and why the actual change depends less on individual technologies and more on when the market leaves old systems behind.

New portrait Jens

ADZINE: Where do you currently see the biggest gaps in the TV booking workflow?

Jens Pöppelmann: The TV booking workflow has evolved over time. TV has been around for decades and the systems have simply been built on top of each other. If you compare this to operating systems, you started with MS-DOS at some point, then moved on to Windows 3.1, and later to Windows 95 – and now we're living in 2026. For a long time, attempts were made to continue with this old architecture instead of actually changing the system.

In the past, products were booked using IDs. You had an Excel sheet or a printout next to you and eventually knew by heart which number stood for which product. That's a classic old-school workflow. Today, it's all about completely streamlining these processes with drop-down menus, networked systems, and clean products. Only then can we talk about a modern workflow.

A second major issue is fragmentation. There is a separate system for each medium: print, digital, video, TV, sometimes even several per medium. If you then want to sell a combined solution, the result is not an integrated process, but a PowerPoint presentation. Quotations, orders, reporting, and billing come from different systems, often with manual intermediate steps. That is not an automated workflow.

So before TV and digital can be combined in a meaningful way, TV must first be clearly mapped in a systematic way.

ADZINE: What exactly is preventing end-to-end booking across linear TV, CTV, and digital today?

Pöppelmann: First, you need the technical basis. Matthias Dang always described it well: You can only build the highway; others have to drive on it. This highway is just now being built.

The idea is that reach on the big screen is sold regardless of whether it comes from linear TV, addressable TV, connected TV, or live streaming. Ultimately, it doesn't matter to customers. Ideally, it's one product, one line item, one creation.

Technically, this is possible, but currently such a product often still consists of several line items. The goal is to standardize this, as agencies are familiar with from digital platforms. Only when this foundation is in place can programmatic TV, for example, be meaningfully packaged into a programmatic big-screen combination with digital products such as CTV, ATV, and DAI.

ADZINE: Is there a shift toward greater standardization in the infrastructure?

Pöppelmann: It's always difficult to give a clear yes in our industry. But the trend is definitely there. Some want it, others don't. Standardization is not an end in itself, but a process in which all sides must be taken into account.

ADZINE: Where does programmatic TV currently stand in realistic terms?

Pöppelmann: We are still in the early stages. It is being discussed, explained, and the first offers are available. An important development is that direct TV and programmatic TV are no longer linear models, but CPM models. Via direct TV, advertisers can purchase guaranteed target group contacts in linear TV directly and AI-supported without DSP, with transparent reporting. Programmatic TV is then the programmatic booking channel. TV advertising thus becomes data-based and automated.

This is a shift in thinking for agencies, clients, and broadcasters. For example, there is still no comprehensive frequency capping for programmatic TV, and bookings and products are not harmonized. That's why we first need to get started and gain experience on all sides.

You can compare it to the development of video on demand. Growth was not linear, but exponential, until a saturation point was reached. It will be similar here.

ADZINE: What does the increase in CPM billing on TV mean?

Pöppelmann: CPM models are already in place for direct and programmatic bookings. The decisive factor is how extensively they are used. If more bookings are made using this model, new requirements for the systems will automatically arise. Software does not develop in a vacuum, but through use.

ADZINE: How will the relationship between traditional I/O bookings and automated models develop?

Pöppelmann: This is also very reminiscent of the development of video in the digital realm. But for this increase to actually happen, agencies need to understand how direct and

Programmatic TV works for them, and broadcasters need to adjust their settings. This is only possible if you start and see that volume is flowing through it.

ADZINE: Will programmatic TV change the balance of power in the market in the long term?

Pöppelmann: I have a hard time with the term “balance of power.” What matters most to customers and agencies is that they can book reach easily, quickly, and cleanly—regardless of whether it comes from linear TV, CTV, or streaming.

The boundaries between broadcasters and platforms are blurring anyway. Streaming providers do live sports, platforms see themselves as broadcasters. Is Amazon a broadcaster? What about DAZN? YouTube already had the motto “Broadcast yourself” back then. But what is crucial for the market is how easy the booking processes are.

Broadcasters have an enormous variety of channels and products. This complexity is a challenge, but also an advantage, especially compared to US platforms. It is important to map them technically in such a way that they remain “easy” to book.

ADZINE: What will a fully integrated TV booking system look like in a few years?

Pöppelmann: In the future, AI will play a major role, especially in terms of speed and automation. A briefing will be read into the system, categorized, and compared with historical data. This will result in an offer within seconds.

Today, quotations, adjustments, and orders can be completed in 60 to 90 minutes. That's not bad, but it will become significantly faster. AI makes the initial suggestion, and humans review and adjust it.

TV remains a direct business, not fully automated programmatic. However, cross-genre offerings that used to take days can now be implemented much more quickly.

ADZINE: When will this point be reached?

Pöppelmann: First, everything has to be brought together in one system environment. Then come combinations, cross-platform optimization, and customer acceptance. That will certainly take another year or two.

As I said, the highway has to be built first. Whether many people will drive on it right away is another question. But it won't work without the highway.ADZINE: Thank you for talking to us!