ITV plans to embed adverts inside programmes
Discussion
Personally, I find this a bit of a p*** boiler.
Click
ITV plans to embed adverts inside programmes
Television viewers will no longer be able to fast forward through advertisements under a new ITV plan to embed them in blank spaces during programmes.
By Aislinn Simpson
Last Updated: 8:22AM BST 01 Oct 2008
The new technology, which is known as "automatically placed overlay advertising", uses a computer programme to find space such as sky or blank walls to drop in company logos or messages.
It has been developed by Californian firm Keystream in response to increasing concerns from advertisers that set-top boxes allow viewers to record programmes and then fast-forward through advertisements, reducing or eliminating their impact.
It is being tested on ITV Local's news footage on its website and, if successful, could be rolled out across the network and onto television screens.
Advertisers taking part in the trial include USwitch.com, the price comparison website, and Freesat, the digital satellite service. On the internet, viewers can click on the logo to be taken to the advertiser's website.
Simon Fell, head of future technology at ITV, said: "There's a lot of potential. If there's a scene in a programme where there's time, then it could give us a chance to get an ad away. But obviously on television you won't be seeing one of these appearing at a crunch point in a drama.
"The technology looks at moments in the video where it finds segments that are big enough to get a non-moving logo in. Rather than an editor sitting through it and finding space, and all the effort that takes, this does it all automatically.
"We're trialling it online, where it's a manageable area and allows us to get feedback from both advertisers and viewers. It gives us another tool in the arsenal, and it's subtle."
But the new technology could prove to be a source of irritation for viewers, and it is not yet known how regulators Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority will react.
Colin Macleod, research director at the World Advertising Research Centre, an independent advisory body, said: "Consumers are becoming a lot more clever in avoiding advertising, and now that they've got the technology to do it it's become a big issue for advertisers. They need to be smarter.
"Anything that they are able to use to attract viewers' attention they will welcome, but as long as viewers feel comfortable about it. This potentially could cause some friction between broadcaster and consumer."
Click
ITV plans to embed adverts inside programmes
Television viewers will no longer be able to fast forward through advertisements under a new ITV plan to embed them in blank spaces during programmes.
By Aislinn Simpson
Last Updated: 8:22AM BST 01 Oct 2008
The new technology, which is known as "automatically placed overlay advertising", uses a computer programme to find space such as sky or blank walls to drop in company logos or messages.
It has been developed by Californian firm Keystream in response to increasing concerns from advertisers that set-top boxes allow viewers to record programmes and then fast-forward through advertisements, reducing or eliminating their impact.
It is being tested on ITV Local's news footage on its website and, if successful, could be rolled out across the network and onto television screens.
Advertisers taking part in the trial include USwitch.com, the price comparison website, and Freesat, the digital satellite service. On the internet, viewers can click on the logo to be taken to the advertiser's website.
Simon Fell, head of future technology at ITV, said: "There's a lot of potential. If there's a scene in a programme where there's time, then it could give us a chance to get an ad away. But obviously on television you won't be seeing one of these appearing at a crunch point in a drama.
"The technology looks at moments in the video where it finds segments that are big enough to get a non-moving logo in. Rather than an editor sitting through it and finding space, and all the effort that takes, this does it all automatically.
"We're trialling it online, where it's a manageable area and allows us to get feedback from both advertisers and viewers. It gives us another tool in the arsenal, and it's subtle."
But the new technology could prove to be a source of irritation for viewers, and it is not yet known how regulators Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority will react.
Colin Macleod, research director at the World Advertising Research Centre, an independent advisory body, said: "Consumers are becoming a lot more clever in avoiding advertising, and now that they've got the technology to do it it's become a big issue for advertisers. They need to be smarter.
"Anything that they are able to use to attract viewers' attention they will welcome, but as long as viewers feel comfortable about it. This potentially could cause some friction between broadcaster and consumer."
DucatiGary said:
people still watch itv ?
____________________________________
to be honest if it's a case of some sort of glorified product placement / the bus stop on coranartion street has an advert for broadband or dev has a special offer on stella.. or the rovers start selling arsing cocking magners then that sort of thing is fine.
if it spreads to C4 and they change the advertising hoarding on a council estate on secret millionaire for an advert for the guardian then that sort of thing is going to be annoying!
DucatiGary said:
people still watch itv ?
Until now.Then again how do you think people playing video games feel? Fighting for the remaining scraps of the equator in Battlefield 2142 and there's bilboards all around for current films and music albums.
(It's not as bad as that, but you get the picture)
MitchT said:
Funk said:
Surely the fact that people go to such lengths to avoid adverts should tell them something?
Ultimately people will just start to avoid the channel completely.
Exactly Ultimately people will just start to avoid the channel completely.
Are we really following America in the every 3 minutes an advert appears?
Heskey said:
DucatiGary said:
people still watch itv ?
Until now.Then again how do you think people playing video games feel? Fighting for the remaining scraps of the equator in Battlefield 2142 and there's bilboards all around for current films and music albums.
(It's not as bad as that, but you get the picture)
Games and programmes that have embedded adverts (and certainly those that are inappropriately or inconsiderately-placed) will suffer huge drops in viewing numbers and purchases.
ETA: Since I can't have Sky+ (communal dish) I often download shows I would've liked to watch. Watching without advert breaks really increases the enjoyment of the show. Watching stuff on Sky when I'm here is almost painful.
And because I object so much to adverts in live action broadcasts like F1, I practice 'active ignoring' of those adverts - I mute the sound and go to do something else. If I do catch part of the advert, I make a note NOT to give the advertiser any of my money (I will not buy a Sony TV on principle, for example).
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 1st October 13:32
Apart from series link, the best part of recording things on Sky+ is to be able to fast forward the ads. Wife and I do it on purpose and hardly ever watch anything at the scheduled times any more. Especially worth skipping ads on series like Dexter and Wire in the Blood which can be quite tense and atmosphere ruined by ads.
k watches ITV anyway?CooperS said:
So is exaclty the same reason why ITV needs to get this sort of technology embedded into there programs before companies start pulling out and therefore reducing the TV companies revenue.
You make a good point. If this type of advertising turns out to be less intrusive than commercial breaks, which result in a programme actually stopping for a few minutes, then it might be less annoying. It just depends how obvious it is and how much it detracts from the programme.
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff