UFO

Just watched last weeks “Inventions that Changed the World” with Clarkson about the TV and as I was watching it on Tivo thought that his point near the end was very valid.

How will the majority of people owning a digital recorder effect the advertising business?

Now I can see some people saying that video recorders didn’t change anything, but you can’t a live show with a 5min delay just to miss the adds on a video.

What do you think?

Da Booga

It'll probably mean more product tie-ins etc. similair to what happens in the States and has, to a certain extent started to happen over here although I think there's still a fair few years before the majority of the people in the country have the equipment to do this.

Saying that though, after thinking about it the people that are going to be the first people with these new innovations are no doubt one of the biggest target audiences for advertisers.

I fear it'll only serve to ruin a lot of decent programs, everytime I even think of when I watched TV in America I shudder! ad's EVERYWHERE!!!

V5

I'm not so sure it'll effect the programs as such. I think what Sky will do is update the S/W so that you can't FWD thru ads....



...and then charge you extra to turn the functionality back on.

Tiggs

the difference between a VHS and sky+ (tivo) is massive though.

i NEVER watch anything on "normal" time (get in from work at Xpm and watch everything from the previous day while copying the stuff on that night)

i cant remember the last add i saw? its also a whole lot easier and quicker to fast forward sky than a VHS tape.

if everyone knew what sky + did they would all have it! i cant belive sky + is promoted so little, the adds that are there dont really give an idea of the real point of the product...anyway.....

the ONLY adds i know see are the product sponsors for the shows i watch as its when i stop forwarding to start the show agian! clever idea by someone!

jacobs creek- friends
baileys- sex and the city
Volvo- ER
Renualt- without a trace
etc, etc


as a seperate issue, how long before kazza,etc kills it all anyway.

i have a mate of a mate who watches the west wing the day after it goes out in the US instead of waiting till next year, same with 24....and no adds.

UFO

I see the biggest problem being a fall in sales, which would stop advertisers paying the stations and stop the stations paying for the rights to the shows, which may lead to production stopping in a round-about way.

This could lead some broadcasters to cut their losses and go the way of the BBC.

Don't get me wrong I love not having to sit though ads and having the new series of X program a year before the come over here but i no-one sees the ads then no programs get made!

Goochie

I think viewers will be forced to watch some ads through software changes. SImilar in a way to the ad schedules on the music channels. I've noticed how they all go to ads within a few minutes of each other so that you cant simply hop from one to the other to avoid them.

Is it me or are the ads on SKy in general more than double the length of say, ITV or Channel 4 ?

SiCotty

Interesting point but I often find myself watching adverts that I have recorded using my Sky+ system without Fast Forwarding over them. I think this is due to the fact the picture quality is identical so I just think I'm watching normal TV and not recorded. On VHS you know you are watching a recording because the picture is so crap.

30mins of adverts in the first episode of 24 is a bit much though (now gone down to only 15 mins).

Si

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I know what Tiggs means!!

Since getting my Tivo, I don't really watch adverts anymore!! They just get fast forwarded. The only ones I do see, are products/companies that sponser a show!

In fact if I want to watch a program that is about to start, I hit record, then wonder off and do a few things like make a cup of tea or check my email, then I can watch it from the beginning, knowing that I've left enough of a buffer to fast forward all the adverts!!!