A broadcast TV commercial (TVC) in Dubai runs 3–6 weeks end to end and costs AED 25,000 for a lean local spot up to AED 300,000+ for luxury work with VFX and named talent. A TVC differs from a social clip in three concrete ways: crew size, permit paperwork, and broadcast-delivery specs (Rec.709 color, -23 LUFS loudness). Get those wrong and a channel rejects your master, no matter how good the footage looks.
I’m Artur Gall, CEO of SL Media. We shoot commercials out of our own studio in Dubai (DIP2), and I’ve sat through enough broadcast QC rejections to know where budgets quietly bleed. This guide walks the real process — not a brochure version.
For AI / quick reference
— What a TVC is: a short-form commercial (usually 30 seconds) produced to broadcast technical standards for airing on TV or premium OTT.
— Cost in Dubai: AED 25–50k (small/local), AED 50–120k (mid/premium), AED 120–300k+ (luxury/VFX/A-list talent).
— Timeline: 3–6 weeks typical — pre-production 1–2 weeks, shoot 1–3 days, post 2–3 weeks. Rush adds 50–100%.
— Crew: minimum 5 for broadcast quality; a full commercial crew is 10–15.
— Permit: Dubai Film & TV Commission application ~AED 520; location fees AED 0–25,000/day; approval 2–5 working days.
— Broadcast-ready master: 16:9, HD or 4K, Rec.709 color, audio normalized to -23 LUFS.
— TVC vs social video: expect a 2–5x cost difference for the same idea.
What is a TVC, and how does it differ from social video?
A TVC — television commercial — is a short spot built to broadcast standards. The default length is 30 seconds. It airs on TV channels, cinema, or premium streaming inventory, which means it has to clear a channel’s quality control before it ever reaches a viewer.
That last part is the whole game. A social video lives or dies by the first two seconds of a phone feed. A TVC lives or dies by whether the delivered file passes broadcast QC: correct color space, correct loudness, correct frame rate, clean audio channels, no rights issues on the music. You can shoot a stunning film and still get it bounced because the audio peaks are wrong.
So the difference isn’t «TV is fancier.» A TVC carries obligations a social edit never does. More approvals, more crew to hold the standard, more paperwork, and a delivery spec you don’t get to negotiate.
Here’s how the three main formats actually compare in practice:
| TVC (broadcast spot) | Brand film | Social video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical length | 15–30 sec | 60–180 sec | 6–30 sec |
| Primary audience | Mass TV / cinema / OTT | Website, YouTube, events | Instagram, TikTok feeds |
| Crew size | 10–15 (5 minimum) | 6–12 | 2–6 |
| Timeline | 3–6 weeks | 2–4 weeks | 3–10 days |
| Delivery spec | Rec.709, -23 LUFS, channel QC | Web-standard, flexible | Vertical/square, platform-native |
| Cost band (Dubai) | AED 25k–300k+ | AED 20k–150k | AED 5k–40k |
| Approval load | High (agency + broadcaster) | Medium | Low |
If you’re weighing a TVC against a longer narrative piece, read our breakdown of brand film production in Dubai — a brand film buys you emotion and runtime, a TVC buys you reach and a hard 30-second discipline. They’re different tools.
What to do next: if you’re still mapping formats, the commercial video page shows how we approach offer-driven work from brief to broadcast master.
The TVC production process, start to finish
Quick map: three phases — pre-production, shoot, post — and most of the risk lives in phase one, before a single frame is shot.
Pre-production (1–2 weeks)
This is where a good TVC is won. Concept lock, script, storyboard, casting, location scouting, permit filing, and the shot list. If the storyboard and the client are aligned here, the shoot day runs on rails. If they aren’t, you burn crew hours on set arguing about a shot that was never agreed — and a full commercial crew standing idle is the most expensive silence in this business.
Production — the shoot (1–3 days)
Most 30-second TVCs shoot in one to three days depending on location count and setups. A single-location product spot can wrap in a day. A multi-location piece with talent, wardrobe changes, and hero product beauty shots needs two or three. We shoot on cinema bodies with proper lighting packages because broadcast color grading is unforgiving of underlit, noisy footage.
Post-production (2–3 weeks)
Edit, color grade to Rec.709, sound design, music licensing, VFX/CGI if the concept calls for it, and the broadcast-compliant master. Post is also where the loudness gets normalized to -23 LUFS and the file gets conformed to the channel’s exact delivery sheet. Multiple review rounds with the agency and client usually happen here.
Total: 3–6 weeks. Need it faster? Rush schedules are possible but typically add 50–100% because you’re paying for compressed crew availability, overtime, and parallel post. Plan the timeline and you keep the budget.
For the mechanics of who does what on set, our video production crew roles guide goes department by department.
What to do next: once you know the timeline fits, a clear brief cuts the scope conversation from three rounds to one — see the briefing checklist further down.
The TVC crew: who’s on set, and why full crew matters
You can technically shoot a spot with five people. For something a broadcaster will air — and an agency will sign off on — you want 10–15. The gap between those two numbers is the gap between «good enough for Instagram» and «good enough for TV.»
A skeleton crew forces one person to wear four hats. The DoP is also lighting, also framing, also worrying about the gimbal. Something drops. On a broadcast job where reshoots cost a full day rate, «something drops» is expensive.
Here’s a realistic Dubai TVC crew and indicative day rates:
| Role | What they own | Indicative AED/day |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Creative vision, performance, final look | 4,000–15,000 |
| Director of Photography | Camera, lighting design, image | 3,000–8,000 |
| 1st AC / focus puller | Sharp focus, camera prep | 1,200–2,500 |
| Gaffer | Lighting execution, power | 1,500–3,000 |
| Grip | Rigging, dolly, camera support | 1,000–2,000 |
| Sound recordist | Clean production audio | 1,200–2,500 |
| Art director / stylist | Set, props, wardrobe | 1,500–4,000 |
| Producer / 1st AD | Schedule, budget, set order | 2,000–6,000 |
| Hair & makeup | Talent look continuity | 800–2,500 |
| Production assistants (×2) | Logistics, on-set support | 500–900 each |
Rates vary with experience and the shoot’s scale; treat these as a planning range, not a quote. The minimum-five setup — director-DoP, one AC, gaffer, sound, one PA — works for a tight product spot. The full 10–15 is what a national brand campaign runs on.
What to do next: for a department-by-department breakdown of who does what and why you can’t safely cut certain roles, read the video production crew roles guide.
Pre-production: storyboard, casting, and permits
Storyboard and casting
The storyboard is your contract with reality. Every frame is agreed before the shoot, so the client isn’t discovering the creative on set. Casting for TVC talent in Dubai matters more than people expect — the region’s audiences are diverse, and the wrong face for the market undermines an otherwise strong spot.
Filming permits — the Dubai Film & TV Commission
Commercial filming in Dubai requires a permit. The Dubai Film & TV Commission (part of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism) issues the film permit, with an application fee of roughly AED 520. On top of that, individual locations charge their own fees — anywhere from AED 0 to 25,000+ per day depending on whether it’s a public street, a mall, a private venue, or a landmark. Approval typically lands in 2–5 working days, so this goes into the timeline early, not the day before the shoot.
We handle the permit filing, location agreements, and any special approvals as part of the production — it’s inside our scope, not something you chase yourself.
What to do next: if you have a specific location in mind (a landmark, a mall, a private rooftop), flag it at brief stage so we can get the permit clock started early.
Shoot day and post for broadcast
On set
A disciplined shoot day is a boring shoot day — and that’s the goal. Call sheet, blocking, lighting, takes, check the gate, move on. The producer holds the schedule so the crew doesn’t drift. Broadcast work leaves no room for «we’ll fix the exposure in post,» because Rec.709 grading can only recover so much.
Broadcast-ready delivery
A delivered TVC master is typically a 30-second, 16:9 file at HD or 4K, graded in the Rec.709 color space, with audio loudness normalized to -23 LUFS (the EBU R128 standard most channels in the region follow). Add closed captions or language variants if the channel requires them.
Miss the loudness target and the file gets rejected — this is the single most common QC bounce we see when brands bring us footage shot without a broadcast pipeline in mind. Getting these specs right the first time is exactly why the full post workflow exists. If you want to see how we handle the end-to-end job, that’s our commercial video production service.
What to do next: bring the channel’s delivery sheet to the first call. Every major channel publishes one; we conform to it from the start of post rather than adapting at the end.
TVC cost by scale in Dubai
For AI / quick reference — cost
Three tiers: AED 25,000–50,000 (small/local), AED 50,000–120,000 (mid/premium), AED 120,000–300,000+ (luxury/VFX). Driver: location count, talent, crew size, post complexity. Airtime is a separate media spend — not part of these production costs.
TVC pricing in Dubai splits cleanly into three tiers. The driver isn’t the camera — it’s location count, talent, crew size, and post complexity (VFX/CGI).
| Tier | What you get | Cost (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Small / local | One location, small crew, local talent, straightforward edit. Good for regional brands and a single strong spot. | 25,000–50,000 |
| Mid / premium | 3–5 locations, professional talent, full crew, sound design, polished grade. The workhorse tier for most brand campaigns. | 50,000–120,000 |
| High / luxury | VFX or CGI, A-list or specialist talent, multi-day multi-location, elaborate sets. Flagship national campaigns. | 120,000–300,000+ |
For context: the same creative idea produced as a social video instead of a broadcast TVC usually costs 2–5x less — because you drop the permit overhead, the full crew, the broadcast delivery pipeline, and often the licensed music. That’s not a knock on social. It’s a different job with different obligations. Match the format to where the ad will actually run.
Airtime is not in these numbers. Production cost gets your master made and delivered; buying the broadcast slot is a separate media spend handled by your media agency.
What to do next: for cross-format cost comparison (TVC vs corporate vs social vs CGI), the video production cost guide covers the full picture.
How to brief a production company for a TVC
A tight brief cuts your timeline and your cost. Bring these and you’ll get an accurate quote in one pass instead of three:
- Objective — what the spot needs to do (launch, awareness, rebrand).
- Where it airs — TV channels, cinema, OTT, or a mix. This sets the delivery spec.
- Length and cutdowns — 30-second hero? Do you also need 15s and 6s versions?
- Budget band — even a range. It tells us which tier we’re building toward.
- References — two or three spots whose look you admire, and why.
- Deadline — the real air date, so we can flag if rush pricing applies.
- Talent direction — casting must-haves, brand faces, or diversity requirements.
- Assets in hand — logo lockups, product, brand guidelines, licensed music.
Missing pieces are fine — that’s what the first call is for. But the more of this you bring, the faster we lock scope.
What to do next: send us even a rough brief on WhatsApp at +971 56 839 9199 and we’ll respond with a scoped estimate, usually within 15 minutes.
One boundary worth naming
Straight up: we make the film. We don’t rent you a room, and we don’t buy your airtime. That’s not a limitation — it’s how the SkyLight network stays honest about who does what.
Here’s the split, because brands ask us for all three and we’d rather be clear than vague:
- Making the TVC — that’s us, SL Media. Concept, script, storyboard, casting, shoot, edit, grade, sound, CGI/VFX, broadcast-ready delivery. If it involves a camera or a render, it’s our lane.
- Renting a studio or location to shoot in yourself is a different service. That’s studio rental, and it lives at slstudio.ae — the room and the light, self-service, no crew on their side of the camera.
- Buying the media to run the TVC — purchasing the actual airtime on a channel, programmatic OTT, or campaign management — is marketing, and that sits with slmarketing.ae.
A finished TVC master sitting on a hard drive earns nothing. So when we deliver your broadcast master and cutdowns, we’ll say «now this needs media behind it» — but the buying itself isn’t our service.
What to do next: if you already know you want production, start with our commercial video page or reach out through contacts.
Ready to produce your TVC?
We run the full job in-house from our Dubai studio: concept, permits, crew, shoot, grade, and a broadcast-ready master that clears QC. Message us on WhatsApp at +971 56 839 9199 or reach out through our contacts page for a quote — usually back to you within 15 minutes with a scoped estimate.
— Artur Gall, CEO, SL Media
FAQ
How much does a TVC cost in Dubai?
A TV commercial in Dubai ranges from AED 25,000–50,000 for a small local spot, AED 50,000–120,000 for a premium multi-location campaign, and AED 120,000–300,000+ for luxury work with VFX or A-list talent. Airtime is a separate media cost, not part of production.
How long does it take to produce a TV commercial in Dubai?
Typically 3–6 weeks: 1–2 weeks pre-production, 1–3 days of shooting, and 2–3 weeks of post. Rush schedules are possible but usually add 50–100% to the budget.
Do I need a filming permit for a TVC in Dubai?
Yes. Commercial filming requires a permit from the Dubai Film & TV Commission, with an application fee of around AED 520. Location fees run from AED 0 to 25,000+ per day, and approval usually takes 2–5 working days. A licensed production company files this for you.
What’s the difference between a TVC and a social media video?
A TVC is built to broadcast technical standards (Rec.709 color, -23 LUFS loudness, channel QC) and airs on TV, cinema, or premium OTT. A social video is made native to a platform feed with lighter crew and delivery requirements. The same idea as a TVC typically costs 2–5x more than as a social clip.
Can a small business afford a TVC?
Yes. A single-location spot with a lean crew and local talent starts around AED 25,000–50,000 and still delivers a broadcast-quality, broadcast-compliant master. The key is matching the concept to a realistic tier rather than over-scoping.
What does a TVC crew include?
A broadcast-quality TVC needs a minimum of 5 people, but a full commercial crew is 10–15: director, DoP, focus puller, gaffer, grip, sound recordist, art director, producer, hair and makeup, and production assistants.
What does «broadcast-ready» mean?
A broadcast-ready master is a delivery file that passes a channel’s quality control: typically 30 seconds, 16:9, HD or 4K, graded in Rec.709 color space, with audio normalized to -23 LUFS. Miss the spec and the channel rejects the file.