Fears that personal video recorders could bring an end to television advertising as we know it could soon be abated. The companies that are revolutionising the way people watch television, letting them pre-record programmes and fast-forward past commercials at the push of a button, are still giving marketers a chance to catch viewers’ attention.
TiVo and ReplayTV, leading competitors in the nascent industry of personal video recorders, plan to let advertisers preload commercials and promotional material in the hard drive of their devices, starting in the US this autumn. Although subscribers will still not be forced to watch the preloaded material, the new marketing tool could be significant in an age in which personal video recorders are set to drastically cut the amount of time viewers spend watching advertisements.
US-based surveys have shown that while six out of ten personal TV subscribers are watching more television, many of them are fast-forwarding through more than 80% of the ads. But surveys have also shown that some people are watching certain ads more than once, if the subject interests them.
For that reason, both major providers of personal video recorders are offering advertisers the chance to preload promotional content as a method of direct marketing. TiVo will give advertisers 30-minute blocks of promotional programming time inserted into the hard drive of the devices and ReplayTV is expected to offer a similar tool in the near future.
