MRG Evening Meeting: ‘In Vod We Trust’

Award winning research looking at Channel 4’s on-demand platform has found that acceptance of VOD advertising on the service has risen, with 66% of viewers agreeing that it’s worth watching ads if the content is free.

Last night’s Media Research Group evening meeting in London saw Glenn Gowen, research group head at Channel 4, and Caroline Rushton, director at Qmedia, present the MRS award winning paper – the first major commercial research study of its kind.

The research, which aims to provide insight into how viewers watch 4oD content and what this means for advertisers, also revealed that 39% of respondents like watching ads because they are a welcome break from a programme, which goes against the more traditional view that ads are an unwelcome interruption.

Looking at 4oD on the Virgin Media platform – where viewers can fast forward through ads, unlike on PC or BT Vision 4oD – the research found that people do not want to skip ads, in case they miss the start of a programme.

Overall, said Gowen, advertising on 4oD works like a sponsorship, with viewers having an affinity with a brand and linking it with a show. However, he emphasised that the environment has to be right as “context plays a big part in it”.