The Media Forecast function provides a consolidated, real-time view of your media spending by combining planned amounts and actualized amounts.
It helps both agencies and internal teams understand how much of the allocated budget is expected to be spent, ensuring alignment with Authorized Spend (Targets) and supporting future decisions on media planning and approvals.
In this article, we will cover:
How to use the Media Forecast function
How to fetch and read Media Forecast analysis
How to export Media Forecast data
How to interpret Media Forecast scenarios
How to Use the Media Forecast Function
The Media Forecast compares three key figures:
Planned Costs - what was initially budgeted in your Media Plan.
Actualized Costs - what has been spent so far and validated in the Results section.
Forecast Costs - the most current value for each media entry and period, automatically updated when actuals are approved.
The Forecast is automatically updated as campaigns progress: for each media entry and period, it uses the approved actual amount when available; otherwise, it keeps the planned amount. This removes the need to manually adjust planned costs over time.
Forecast is calculated at the level of each media entry and period (e.g. month), then aggregated to higher levels (quarters and year).
Accessing Media Forecast
Hover over Timeline in the left-hand menu.
Select Forecast from the dropdown.
You’ll see three timelines: Planning, Results, and Forecast.
The forecast is shown by default.
A standard Forecast view with three hierarchy levels (Organization, Division, Signature) has been set globally. However, you can customize your view.
Customizing your view
A standard Forecast view with three hierarchy levels (Organization, Division, Signature) is set globally, but it can be customized.
Click the cogwheel icon and choose Modify Settings. Options include:
Granularity - by month, quarter, or semester.
Measures - define what appears in totals and on bars.
Semester totals - toggle to show first-half and second-half totals.
Show Targets - compare forecast values against Authorized Spend.
Validation filter - restrict Authorized Spend to validated target only (approved 3/3)
Custom hierarchy - add, modify, or delete levels.
Once adjusted, click Save view settings, give your template a name, and decide whether to keep it private or share it with others. All templates can be managed via the cogwheel menu.
How to Fetch and Read Media Forecast Analysis
There are two ways to open the detailed analysis view:
Click on a bar for the specific period you want to review.
Click the histogram icon to analyze the full year.
What you’ll see
The analysis window displays both a chart and a table:
Chart – compares Authorized Spend (green) with Forecast (yellow).
Table – breaks down values by period (e.g., quarter) and includes:
Year-to-date (YTD)
Year-to-go (YTG)
Total
Understanding the data sources
The table rows show values from different sources:
Costs from Planning – original planned budget.
Costs from Results – actualized and approved spend.
Forecast – the most recent checkpoint, using Actual if approved, otherwise Planned.
This comparison lets you see if spending is on track, under, or over the Authorized Spend across periods.
Forecast uses the following logic for each media entry and period:
if an approved actual exists, it replaces the planned value
if no actual is approved, the planned value is kept
In cases where a media entry spans multiple months, any remaining budget is automatically carried over to future periods.
Examples
1) Consider a media plan running from April to June, with three separate media entries of €100 each (one per month). If €80 is actualized and approved for April while no results exist yet for May and June, the Forecast will be €80 for April and €100 for both May and June. The system simply replaces the planned value with the approved actual, where available.
2) In another scenario, imagine a single media entry covering January through April with a total budget of €400, initially distributed as €100 per month.
If €90 is approved for each of the first three months, the total actualized amount becomes €270. The remaining €130 is then automatically assigned to April.
If a different amount is later approved for April, that value will replace the forecast.
This comparison lets you see if spending is on track, under, or over the Authorized Spend across periods.
How to Export Media Forecast Data
Exports are only available from the Media Forecast Analysis view (not the flowchart).
Open the analysis window.
Click Export.
Choose a reporting template if available, or use the standard one.
Select file format (Excel or CSV).
Open the exported file.
What’s included in the export
Media Forecast data, combined with Planning details (product, customer, media owner, media type).
To see only Forecast data, filter the Entry Type column.
Column Source Entry Type indicates whether data is from:
MediaEntry (Planning)
MediaResult (Results/Actuals)
This distinction helps identify how much of your forecast comes from planned versus actualized spend.
How to Interpret Media Forecast Scenarios
When reviewing data, you may encounter two common scenarios:
Forecast equals Planning Cost
Either no media entries have been actualized yet,
Or actuals have been approved and match what was originally planned.
Forecast lower than Plannning Cost
One or more media entries have been actualized and approved with values lower than the initial plan.
If you are looking at months, in some cases, you may observe higher values in later months. This typically occurs when earlier underspending leads to a reallocation of the remaining budget to future periods, as illustrated in the example above.
By comparing Forecast with Authorized Spend, you can quickly see if you’re on track, under, or over budget.
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