Asking "how much does a TV commercial cost in Lebanon?" is a bit like asking how much a building costs. A 20-second spot can be a single-location shoot with two actors, or a multi-scene production with a large cast, animation and several versions. The answer depends on a short list of decisions, and once you know them you can read any TVC quote, ours or anyone else's.
We are Fine Line Production, a video production house in Beirut, working since 2017. We do not publish a price list and we will not invent a number here. This article explains what builds the budget of a TVC, how a commercial gets made from brief to broadcast file, and how to brief it so the quote you receive is accurate.
The short answer: what decides the price of a TV commercial in Lebanon?
Five things set the budget of a TV commercial: the concept and how many scenes it needs, the cast, the number of shoot days and locations, the amount of post-production (animation, effects, grade, sound), and the rights and versions you need after the spot is finished. Length matters less than people expect. A 20-second commercial with animated characters and tracked effects can carry more work than a 60-second one filmed in a single room.
One more point sits outside production: airtime is usually a separate budget from making the spot, typically arranged through your agency or a media buyer. If your project is a company film rather than a spot, read our guide to corporate video cost in Lebanon instead.
What goes into the cost of a commercial?
1. The idea and the number of scenes
A commercial built around one situation in one place is simpler to produce than a spot that moves through several settings. The ROCK Mutual Insurance launch shows the other end: each of its four TVCs, for Expat, Motor, Property and Health cover, is built from several small human moments in different places, which usually means more setups than a single-scene spot needs. That was a creative choice.
2. Casting and talent
The number of performers, whether they are known faces or new ones, and how many scenes each appears in all feed the budget. So does the agreement behind them. A cast agreement should say where the commercial may run and for how long, which brings us to usage rights below.
3. Shoot days, locations and crew
Each shoot day brings crew, camera and lighting equipment, transport and setup, and every extra location adds another setup. Planning the shoot so that all the scenes you need are captured in as few days as possible is a large part of producing a commercial. We cover the same logic for company films in our corporate video cost guide, and it applies to spots too.
4. Animation, effects and finishing
Post-production is its own line of work. Editing, animation, visual-effects tracking, compositing and color grading each take time. Kellogg's Coco Pops Arabia is a good example from our own work: a 20-second commercial that combines live action with an established animated character world, where our Beirut team handled the edit, character animation, effects tracking, compositing and grade. When animation is part of a spot, our animation cost guide explains how that part is priced.
5. Music, voice-over and sound
Music, a voice-over in Arabic, English or both, and the final sound mix are separate pieces of work. Horse Head Tea is a good example of music doing a job inside a spot: for its 2023 comeback commercial, the original 1990s jingle returns in an updated form. Whether you license a track, commission one or update an existing one changes the budget.
6. Versions and cutdowns
The master spot is rarely the only file. You may need a shorter cutdown, a version for social platforms, or a different language. Each is edit time, and it is cheaper to plan them before the shoot than to ask for them afterward, because the crew can frame shots with the extra versions in mind.
What are usage rights, and why do they affect a TV commercial budget?
Usage rights describe where, for how long and in which media a commercial may be shown. They matter because the people and materials in the spot are used under agreements, and those agreements have limits. Two commercials that look identical can carry different costs if one is licensed for a short run on one channel and the other for a long run across television and digital.
In Lebanon, the copyright law gives this a legal footing. Under Law No. 75 of 1999 on the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property, a contract to exploit or assign economic rights must be in writing, must set out in detail the rights it covers, and must indicate the time and location (Article 17). If it sets no time limit, the same article says it is valid for 10 years from signature. The law also gives performers the right to authorize or prohibit the fixation of their performance (Article 39), and says that for an audiovisual work the producer is considered the copyright holder in the absence of an agreement to the contrary (Article 9).
In practical terms: ask for the usage terms to be written into your quote and contracts, not assumed. Say where the spot will run, for how long, and whether it may be extended later. We are a production company, not a law firm, so have your lawyer confirm the wording for your project.
How is a TV commercial made, step by step?
The process follows the same stages as most films, tightened to the length of a short spot. Our general guide to how a video gets made in Lebanon covers the full pipeline. For a TVC it runs like this:
- Brief. The goal, the audience, the length, the channels and the deadline. For Step by Step, a 30-second public-health broadcast spot for Embrace and the Ministry of Public Health, the brief was to name common signs of depression and point viewers to free support without making the subject feel clinical.
- Concept and script. The idea is written down in seconds, with the action and the lines. A commercial has very little time, so every beat has to earn its place.
- Pre-production. Casting, locations, wardrobe, schedule and shot list are decided here. Step by Step placed its message inside an ordinary family game-show moment in a Lebanese living room, so the room and the performances are the kind of thing to settle before the camera rolls.
- Shoot. Filming day or days, with the crew and equipment the script calls for.
- Post-production. Edit, animation or effects where needed, color grade, music and sound mix.
- Delivery. The final file in the format your channel or agency asks for, plus any cutdowns and social versions agreed at the start.
Because the idea, script, shoot, post-production and delivery happen under one roof at Fine Line, there is one point of contact for all of it. You can see the finished work on our commercials page, including Step by Step, Horse Head Tea and Coco Pops Arabia.
Can you commission just the post-production of a TVC?
Yes. Not every commercial starts with a shoot. Sometimes the footage already exists, or is filmed elsewhere, and what is needed is the finishing. Coco Pops Arabia was exactly that kind of job for us: post-production in Beirut, from editing and character animation through effects tracking, compositing and color grading, delivered as a 20-second TV commercial.
For a client, this means the scope of a quote can be defined by what you need delivered, not by the idea of a full production. If your agency already has the footage, tell the production company early which stages you need, and ask for the quote to list them.
How do you get an accurate TV commercial quote?
Send the production company a brief that answers these questions:
- What is the spot for? A product launch, a brand return, a public-awareness message.
- How long, and where will it run? Television, social platforms, cinema, or several. Name the channels, the country and the period.
- Is there a script or concept? Or does the production company need to develop one with you.
- How many versions? Cutdowns, languages, vertical formats.
- What is already in place? Footage, a character world, a jingle, a brand identity from your agency.
- When is it due, and what is the budget range? A rough band is enough. It helps the production company choose an approach that fits.
With those answers, a quote can list what is included: cast, shoot days, post-production, music, versions and usage terms. If a quote does not list them, ask which are in and which are not.
Keeping a commercial on budget without cheapening it
- Choose a concept that works in fewer locations and scenes.
- Plan every cutdown and version before the shoot.
- Settle the usage terms (where, how long) before the contract is signed.
- Share footage, music and brand assets you already have at the start.
- Keep approvals tight. Many reviewers at the edit stage is where revisions, and costs, grow.
Talk to us
If you are planning a TV commercial in Lebanon, send us the answers above and we will come back with a clear quote. Email info@finelineprod.com, call +961 1 741 744, or use the contact page. You can see the range of what we make on our services page, and the full launch story behind four of our spots in the ROCK Mutual Insurance case study.