WSJ on bugs, popup, and increasing screen spam (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

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Even Madison Avenue is skeptical. "Most people are going to be offended or very turned off by it," says Peter Gardiner, chief media officer of Interpublic Group of Cos.' Deutsch ad agency. The technique is tailor-made "for the seller and the advertiser," says Lisa Seward, a media director at Publicis SA's Fallon, but not for the consumer.
Others wonder what purpose is being served. "If I'm looking at a drama, I'm prepared to be entertained," says Harry Keeshan, director of national broadcast for Omnicom Group Inc.'s PHD media-services firm. "I'm getting sold enough during the commercial breaks. I don't need the invasion during entertainment."
Still, small-screen aficionados should already be expecting these sudden commercial sightings. On the Internet, surfers multitask, reading e-mail, buying a book and reading a news article. Why not on TV? Moreover, with the advent of digital-recording devices like SonicBlue Inc.'s Replay TV or TiVo Inc.'s namesake product, talk among TV titans has been rife with fear that consumers will be able to fast-forward past traditional 30-second spots. It's hard to ignore an ad that bubbles up under the action.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Someday, some network guy is going to get the bright idea of having their programs be widescreen and then selling the black-bar space (and if it replaced commercial interruptions, I'm not sure I'd oppose it).

Networks need to be careful, though - with the turnaround for TV shows to DVD becoming quicker and quicker, this could easily drive the audience away from boadcast.

 

[David Rogers]

I don't know if "careful" is the word I'd use.

The networks, honestly, should be *jumping* at the chance to interest people in buying DVD season sets of the shows they commission for broadcast.

Problem is, how much of the *crap* on broadcast and commerical-cable (USA, etc..) is even worth buying? There are a few choice shows that are worthy, but I suspect most of it isn't interesting when contemplated under the view of paying US$50-US$90 for a set.

But rather than whining about how ads aren't drawing eyeballs anymore, they could simply emulate HBO's model of *quality* television programing. HBO doesn't have any problems, at all, selling sets of their shows. All three seasons of Sopranos are available on DVD and still the Season Four opener drew a record number of viewers. That example should clearly put to rest any lingering arguments executives might mouth about availability making the broadcast less appealing.

Viewership goes down when quality does. It works the otherway too though.

Point is why futz with ads when you could simply take cash directly from consumers who enjoy the product you're involved with? If Sopranos or Sex in the City (or Oz or Six Feet Under or Band of Brothers) quality programming was available from the Old Four, people would watch. Then they could have ad sales for whatever they're worth and also disc sales as well.

 

[Jason Seaver]

HBO doesn't have any problems, at all, selling sets of their shows. All three seasons of Sopranos are available on DVD and still the Season Four opener drew a record number of viewers. That example should clearly put to rest any lingering arguments executives might mouth about availability making the broadcast less appealing.

Not hardly; it's too early to know. What it may have shown is that having previous seasons available can expand your audience for a new season, but "The Sopranos" is clearly a special case - it had a long layoff between seasons, HBO owns the show outright, and HBO collects initial revenue directly from its viewers, rather than through advertising. It might not necessarily work for ER.

What we don't know yet is whether the belief that "24" Season 2 will be out on DVD scant months after episode 2.24 airs will decrease viewership during the season, as people wait until they can have it in one box in widescreen without ads, logos, pre-emptions, etc.

 

[MickeS]

I've mentioned that in some messages before, and I agree with you. I'm pretty sure that they'd move the black bars around randomly (switching between top and bottom) though, since otherwise we could just matte the TV (perhaps even through software) and get rid of ads altogether.

/Mike