Not so long ago, the iPod was the darling of the pay-as-you-go set.
This, they assured us, was the future of television. All the episodes of Lost and Desperate Housewives you could ever want would be just a download away, all for the low low price of just $1.99 per episode. And this was just the beginning. Soon,very soon, a whole megaverse of content would be available to us and never a commercial would we lay eyes on again.
But not so fast.
Now comes Disney with a different vision of that very same future. That’s right. ABC is planning to show Desperate Housewives, Lost and other programs on line–get this– for free! And you know how? By requiring viewers to watch ads of all things. If it works, well, advertising gets a stay of execution and the new media doomsday that some have been predicting will be averted. If it does’t work, a lot of people are in trouble. Everything from DVD sales and network affiliates to TiVo and television set manufacturers.
The irony of it is that for a time, the Brits tried to charge license fees for the BBC. Didn’t catch on. Unltimately, advertising ended up carrying the day. If Disney’s model works out, it’s deja vu all over again.
////The irony of it is that for a time, the Brits tried to charge license fees for the BBC. Didn’t catch on. Unltimately, advertising ended up carrying the day. If Disney’s model works out, it’s deja vu all over again./////
BUT AINT THIS AMERICA HOME OF THE FREE TO CHOOSE, where the rich will pay for not being influenced by those blatant ads, and the poor will watch and go to Walmart and buy the stuff. The rich will just go off and buy a desperate housewife or something similar?
Wow. That’ll work. Let’s try to use our clients brand to make consumers hate them even more by using intrusive advertising. Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of being able to watch all that stuff online … I’ll just open another browser window during the commericals. This is an even easier way to avoid commercials than the remote control.
I would rather watch a good well-crafted commercial than surf the internet. If you make quality commercials, we will come. I spent days looking for the video of the latest Dunkin Donuts ad on the internet (I know this shows my ineptitude) .
Maybe exciting short videos (ads) have more of a future on IPODS and cell phones than an hour long show.
Thank you for posting the Dunkin Donuts ad!
Having the ability to catch an episode you might have missed is the biggest draw for online downloads. I believe most online users are willing to watch ads if they can get the show for free (just look at podcasting). The only thing that’s missing is the ability to wirelessly stream the show from the computer to the tv.
First, there’s still a TV licence fee in the UK that goes to the BBC. Their system works great for them – now that they’ve got other channels to choose from. The world would be a greyer place without the BBC.
Second, some content I’m willing to pay money for, some I’m willing to pay eyeball time for. I like that I can make a choice about the value proposition – and I play the curve. There’s no way I’m paying $2 for a music video, but I’ll pay $2 for a sopranos episode.
Just tell me one thing – how much video ad makes $2 (sure, it depends, but sketch it out for me)?
So
I honstly think that the industry of advertising will never change. There will always be a supply and demand for basic necessities. On the other hand, frivolous items such as jewelry , make-up, and other not so “NECESSARY” items, still have somewhat of a ”basic” but not
”elementary”need. There will always be some company out there trying to sell you the ”consumer” something you will need or won’t need. But either way there will always be the basic need for advertising.