Thursday, October 27, 2005
PVRs and Commercial Skipping: The Genie is Out of the Bottle
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 05:00 AM
"Bedoop. Bedoop. Bedoop. That's the noise a TiVo makes when it skips ads, and it is the most dreaded sound in the television industry. As TiVos and digital video recorders offered by cable and satellite operators proliferate, viewers are gaining more control over how they watch television. And many of them are using that power to say goodbye to advertisements. Digital video technology is both a blessing and a curse for the television industry. On the one hand, owners of DVRs are loyal television viewers. On the other hand, they like to skip over commercials that pay for creating the programs. There is no denying that a major transformation in television-viewing habits is under way. But rather than diminish the role of advertising in the industry, the shift is likely to push both television executives and advertisers to find new ways of marketing to consumers."
This article covers the ugly truth that most of us are afraid to admit: if, tomorrow, everyone in the world had a PVR, the advertising market would be in the toilet overnight, along with most of the TV shows that we watch. I for one loathe watching real-time TV now that I've been spoiled by watching TV on my MCE 2005 and cable-company PVR. There are so many commercials on TV shows nowadays, it drives me insane to watch them. I'd say I only watch about 1 in 10 commercials - I'll stop the skip back if something looks interesting. Yet I also know that without those same commercials, most of the TV shows I watch would go off the air. We'd be left with cheap-to-produce documentaries and reality shows where there are no star-studded salaries involved. All the big-name companies would look elsewhere with their advertising budgets, and most TV shows would wither and die. I have the perfect solution: all those big-name, $500K-a-spot ads should contact me at Thoughts Media right away. :lol:
This article covers the ugly truth that most of us are afraid to admit: if, tomorrow, everyone in the world had a PVR, the advertising market would be in the toilet overnight, along with most of the TV shows that we watch. I for one loathe watching real-time TV now that I've been spoiled by watching TV on my MCE 2005 and cable-company PVR. There are so many commercials on TV shows nowadays, it drives me insane to watch them. I'd say I only watch about 1 in 10 commercials - I'll stop the skip back if something looks interesting. Yet I also know that without those same commercials, most of the TV shows I watch would go off the air. We'd be left with cheap-to-produce documentaries and reality shows where there are no star-studded salaries involved. All the big-name companies would look elsewhere with their advertising budgets, and most TV shows would wither and die. I have the perfect solution: all those big-name, $500K-a-spot ads should contact me at Thoughts Media right away. :lol:
