We are all thieves acording to Turner CEO

While I do not go as far as to say that skipping commercials is stealing, I am curioius what you all think would happen if Commercial Advance actually had a significant market penetration? If broadcasters can not defeat it, then either all programming will become pay-per-view (and their will be less of it), or they will simply integrate the ads into the content:


Chandler: Hey Ross, would you like another cool refreshing Budwiser beer?

Ross: Sure Chandler. I love the King of Beers.


etc.


If product placements bother you now, what do you think it will be like in the future?


A system that lets you fast forward through commercials should actually result in better, more entertaining and informative ads, since to get people to stop and watch them, their creators will have to make them interesting.


/carmi

Essentially creating more channels so you can view your programming at different times, precluding the need to PVR. By adding more channels he gets to add more advertising slots.


In the end consumers should decide what's best for them. The battle will be for control. Consumers have used VCRs in the past as a means for control but obviously not to the degree that a PVR provides control. This is what scares guys like Kellner. Ultimately what it will boil down to is people will gravitate towards quality. They'll watch the stuff they want when they want. This means they'll need to figure out new revenue streams because commerica interruptions just wont penetrate that market segment.


But they've got options: They could put "runners" along the edges of the screen, they could do more of the "brought to you commercial free by..." or they could do more of the ad integration stuff. That last one would be the least favorable to me since it essentially makes a broadcast a giant commercial.


The bottom line is they now have to deal with US, the time-shifting PVR customer. We already pay more for that ability in addition for paying to receive TV in general. Advertising has already fragmented itself somewhat with the advent of Internet ads.


foghorn

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I doubt either of these schemes would ever happen.


Regarding PPV, can you imagine the hassle of thinking about how much Monday Night Football or SpongeBob costs each time before you watch it? Can you imagine trying to review your monthly bill with over 100 shows watched? Good luck trying to call customer service and get a $0.27 refund for a show you claim you didn't watch...


Regarding integrating ads into content, although sleazy programmers will continue to sneak advertising into show content, this would never become so prevalent as to replace regular ads. I mean, do you actually think people will continue to watch shows like "24" if we were barraged by suggestions to drink Coke, drive Chevys, and use Tampax throughout the plot? Never!


The obvious solution is to charge a flat rate monthly fee to receive commercial-free programming, or at least, to be able to continue using comercial skip.


People that think that "skipping commercials is theft" have their cranium stuck in their rear orifice.


I guess I must be the world's most notorious criminal of all time. For over 25 years, I have skipped over or just plain ignored ads. I will continue to do so in the future. That's right, I'm a repeat offender. Please don't turn me in to the brain police!

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IMHO, your last statement hits the real target here. Advertising needs to adjust to technology & the will of the consumer. If advertisers are concerned over viewership & the impact of "skipping commercials," then they need to step up & make better commercials, or more accurately, better induce consumers to watch their ads...notwithstanding "ad skipping," bathroom breaks, PIP, telephone calls, fridge breaks, etc.


Advertising has invariably involved creative thinking to maximize viewership/readership, and I don't think anything has changed this. I trust a new marketing angle, if really needed, would arise.


Sheesh...how's this: free lottery tickets distributed to consumers, drawings held during commercial time (systematically, randomly, etc.). People would be induced to watch the ads, no? Hey, that's my idea, don't try to patent it!

Typical low-tech executive thinking leads them to see using a legal tool as an illegal act - when i fact, it should lead them to think of the new revenue opportunites that now arise.


If I was an exec at NBC/DBS/whatever, I'd cut a cool $1M check to Tivo/UTV to have them add code that tells the difference between normal commercials and "special" commercials that cannot be skipped. And then I'd sell the "special commercials" for a lot more money.


As PVRs begin to replace VCRs, this new scheme would actually enforce MORE commercial viewing than the old VCR world that existed before PVRs.


Quite frankly, I'm surprised that we haven't heard this as a revenue generating idea from Tivo/Replay/UTV already - they surely need the cash.


Here's hoping that these exces remain ignorant of this concept - because it surely would suck to have to watch commercials again.

This is an argument that has been made several times over the past few years. I remember reading one interview where the statement was made, so the interviewer (working for a high tech mag) asked if the same logic applied to printed media. If so, did the executive in question read EVERY ad in a magazine/newspaper (since the ad revenue helps subsidize the cost of the content), or did he skip over them...


Needless to say, the answer was revealing. He didn't read all of them, and blustered his way through a "it's not the same thing" type of response.


Bottom-line, more and more each day, what we take for granted is being viewed with a growing critical eye. If we're not careful, pretty soon we won't be able to timeshift or make our own CD mixes using CDs that we've legally purchased. More rights are being accorded to the content providers than to the content purchasers. Notice that I didn't refer to "us" as content owners...we're viewed more as simply renting the content. Can anyone say "DIV-X"?


Chas.