What are voiceover usage fees?
Voiceover usage fees are the fees paid for the right to use a voice recording in specific media, territories and time periods. They are separate from the recording session itself because the value of a voiceover changes depending on how widely the audio will be heard.
Traditional voiceover pricing can involve TVRs, impressions, views, media spend, audience reach, territories and campaign duration. Voiceover.Café simplifies this by offering fixed pricing by market for many common commercial and corporate usage types.
Voiceover usage types explained
| Usage type | What it means | Typical pricing approach | How Voiceover.Café is different |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV only | Advertising or content broadcast exclusively on television. Usage is limited to TV and does not include online or other platforms. | Usually based on the market size and number of TV ratings or TVRs. | No TVRs needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Online – social only | Content distributed exclusively on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn, without TV or VOD. | Often based on expected impressions, views or paid reach. | No total impressions or views needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Online – VOD only | Content hosted on video-on-demand platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or subscription platforms such as Netflix or Hulu, without airing on TV. | Often calculated using expected views, platform reach and campaign duration. | No total views or impressions needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Online – social and VOD | Content shared across social media and video-on-demand platforms. | Typically combines social media reach and VOD platform usage. | No social media impressions needed. Fixed price per market. |
| TV and online | Content distributed across traditional TV channels and online platforms including social media or VOD. | Often combines TVRs for TV spots with online impressions, views and campaign duration. | No TVRs, impressions or views needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Digital audio and broadcast radio | Voiceover or content that airs on digital audio platforms, podcasts, Spotify, radio or other audio channels. | Usually based on listener audience, airtime, market reach and campaign duration. | No impressions or airtime needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Cinema | Content displayed in movie theatres before the main feature, often as commercials or trailers. | Often based on number of screens, theatres, locations and audience size. | No number of screens or audience size needed. Fixed price per market. |
| Corporate – internal use only | Content created for internal corporate use, such as training videos, internal presentations or private distribution. | Usually priced as a project or recording fee, with no external advertising usage. | Same simple corporate-use approach. |
| Corporate – unpaid social use | Corporate content for internal use also shared on organic social media without paid promotion. | Often adds a social media buyout or usage fee to the internal-use rate. | No organic reach data needed. Fixed price based on recording fee. |
| Corporate – paid social use | Corporate content for internal use also promoted on social media through paid ads to reach a wider audience. | Often priced based on paid impressions, media spend or campaign scale. | No paid impressions or budget needed. Fixed price based on recording fee. |
Why our usage pricing is simpler
No TVRs needed
Many traditional commercial voiceover quotes ask for TVRs before pricing can be confirmed. Our fixed market pricing removes that barrier.
No impressions or views required
You do not need to know your estimated impressions, views, airtime or media spend before requesting a quote.
Fixed price by market
We price usage by market, making it easier to budget for campaigns across different territories and platforms.
Clearer for agencies and clients
Our approach helps production teams, agencies and brands get voiceover costs approved faster, without going back and forth over media data.
Commercial vs corporate voiceover usage
Commercial voiceover usage usually applies when the voiceover is part of advertising or promotional content designed to sell, market or promote a product, service or brand. This can include TV commercials, paid social campaigns, digital ads, cinema ads, radio and online video advertising.
Corporate voiceover usage usually applies to business communication such as internal training, explainer videos, onboarding, presentations, e-learning, internal announcements and private corporate content. If corporate content is promoted publicly or used in paid media, usage may need to be adjusted.
Not sure what usage type you need?
You do not need to know all the technical terminology before speaking to us. Tell us where the voiceover will be used, which countries it will run in and whether it is internal, organic or paid media. We can help identify the right usage category and provide a clear quote.
You may also find our voiceover services, commercial quote, localisation services and casting process pages useful when planning your project.
Frequently asked questions
What is a voiceover usage fee?
A voiceover usage fee is the fee paid for the right to use a voice recording in specific media, territories and time periods. It reflects where and how widely the recording will be used.
Do I need TVRs to get a quote?
No. Voiceover.Café does not need TVRs for our fixed market pricing approach.
Do I need social media impressions or views?
No. You do not need to provide total impressions, views or media spend to get started.
What if my campaign runs on both TV and social media?
Tell us the markets and platforms involved. We can quote for combined TV and online usage using our simplified pricing structure.
Is internal corporate use charged differently?
Yes. Internal corporate voiceover projects are usually treated differently from public advertising usage. If the content is later promoted externally, usage may need to be updated.
Can you help me work out the right usage category?
Yes. Share a brief summary of where the content will appear, and we’ll guide you to the correct usage type.
Need a clear voiceover usage quote?
Tell us where your voiceover will be used and we’ll help you get a clear, practical quote without unnecessary media planning data.
Get a commercial quote