Ad It Up

Submitted by Adam Raymond on Tue, 03/07/2006 - 6:51pm.

With the advent of the video iPod and the ever-growing need for television stations to diversify their media output, it comes as no surprise that networks have begun offering shows for convenient $1.99 downloads on iTunes. Great idea – terrible execution. A new survey might help reverse that.

According to a survey, 54% of iPod owners said they would be more likely to purchase the video version if television downloads came with no price tag, but with a 30-second ad instead. The survey also said that 72% of those already planning on purchasing a video iPod would be more willing to download television shows in this format. What an ingenious idea. Allowing people to watch TV shows in exchange for watching ads – who woulda thunk?

In a sign that its finger is on the pulse, ABC recently announced that free downloads of its shows are in the works. Rather than watching a 30-second ad though, downloaders would be subjected to five minutes of advertising for every 15 minutes of content.

Websites like Salon have thrived under this format, offering the option of either paying a subscription fee or watching an ad for access to content. In this scenario everybody wins, both those who want the convenience of easy access and those who prefer sacrificing 30 seconds to reach the articles.

While Apple surely has its eye on the survey results, the benefits extend beyond its pockets and to those who never will own a video iPod. Who wouldn’t welcome the chance to catch up on a favorite show or see the episode missed last week, without a hit to the wallet? Here’s hoping that all the networks are paying attention.

Christine Caro @ Tue, 03/07/2006 - 11:57pm

Although I personally don't ever plan on watching episodes of my favorite shows on my iPod, I think that this would present a great option. $2 for an episode seems a little steep for something you could just watch on TV for essentially free (okay so we pay for monthly service, but still). If I were to ever watch these on my iPod, I think that I would much rather watch an ad first (would we be able to fast forward??) than shell out the cash.

Julia Song @ Wed, 03/08/2006 - 11:20am

I was just thinking about fast forwarding too. It's a nice idea to present both options-- either way they can make money, either from subscription fees or from the advertisers. Ads are annoying (especially if they are 5 minutes long) but I don't think I would want to pay for the contents. It's quite expensive too. I have a feeling people will find a way to upload and download their own versions of the shows though, without ads, like they do with the music files. Yeah, they made P2P programs illegal and Napster closed down its free download programs, but people somehow still manage to get the files for free.

Jason K (not verified) @ Thu, 03/09/2006 - 9:58pm

I believe im going to have to agree with what this article is saying and congratulate the idea men/women on a great thought. It is just ingeneous to have done such a thing, because people would have downloaded it for free anyways on Limewire or fake napsters, of whicht there are hundreds. This way, though, the people will stay with the itunes program and download the free videos because of the format. Also, they get a bonus by getting paid by these outside companies to advertise on their network. All in all, they will probably wind up making a lot more money than they would have if they had still charged $1.99 a video. Another key bonus is that it hepls out economy in feeding small assest with money on the sides. GENIUS!!! BRAVO!!!

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A group blog exploring our media world. Produced by the Digital Journalism: Blogging course at New York University, Spring 2007.

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