Stay tuned for the network's
latest DVR strategy: acceptance. Armed with the latest Nielsen data, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are rushing to tell advertisers that even with a set-top box and its bevy of pauses, fast forwards and 30 second skips at the ready -- we're guessing this doesn't apply to
Media Center users on automated setups -- most viewers simply settle in and watch the commercials anyway.
The New York Times breaks down the commercial-plus-three ratings system the networks initially opposed that could end up saving shows like
Heroes from cancellation -- though a return to the
old way of thinking might be worthwhile if it means an end to that show's now pitiable existence.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter F @ Nov 2nd 2009 7:24PM
Their numbers must be broken. Everyone I know gets upset if they forget to fast forward or skip through commercials.
TV," Look at these small hands [whopper commercial]
All viewers,"Why the hell am I watching this:
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Nov 2nd 2009 7:43PM
The potential of Heroes was Soooo great.
It is just pathetic how bad the universe level writing for that show is, given the blank slate they had to work with.
Then they set most of the characters up in a no growth through relationships scenario, which let's face it, is what makes the long haul in a series worth it and keeps people watching.
Oh, and the final straw, they killed off pretty much every hot brunette that was on the show... Eden(Nora Zehetner), Heidi Petrelli(Rena Sofer), Candy(Missy Peregrym), and there's probably more that were small characters I can't remember that were hot brunettes that some female blonde writer on the show had killed, and probably tortured too.
bobjfs @ Nov 2nd 2009 8:06PM
Even when we fast forward, we see the commercials. I have no doubt that we understand many of the visual messages, though we don't hear the audio.
If I were an advertiser, I would design my commercials to be as visual as possible, making sure the logo/wordmark is easily seen at the very end, like Target does. That way, the viewer still sees the logo when fast-forwarding. Better yet, frame the commercial with a recognizable beginning and ending set of frames, with the end containing the logo/wordmark.
Example for the upcoming season: First frames are of people walking into a store at Christmas time, with the ending frames being the logo/wordmark. Who wouldn't understand that even at so many more frames per second?
Rob @ Nov 2nd 2009 8:04PM
Hey...Heroes is pretty good this season :(
I just pretend that seasons 2 and 3 never existed. If we had jumped straight from season 1 (which most people liked) to this season 4, I don't think people would be hating on the show so much.
As for the DVR commercials thing - I tend to catch the last ad that's shown before the show starts up again after the commercial break so that I don't miss the beginning of the segment. Broadcasters should just charge a whole lot more for that position.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Nov 2nd 2009 8:58PM
Listen to yourself, If 2 seasons of the show were gone than it would be a good show.
One third of what came before got a thumbs up from you it sounds like, and this season, personally I'm not even watching it.
I do know that someone came back and did a lot of work the last 5-6 episodes of season 3 to sew up the continuity of the Universe. That being said it means that instead of having a show, you had a patch up job for the last 5+ episodes last season( And yeah, I did watch that).
Given the popularity of the show and the likely profits of season 1, you'd think they could get some writers in that could craft a timeline and make a to do list for relationships that would grow the show.
Hell, I could get 5 college students that don't even like the genre and still come away with a decent timeline with a "Where will this character be" for every character in like 15 hours.
They failed. They may not be failing as much, and the memory of when they didn't fail may be strong, but they still failed.
Do what you want, but I am not so forgiving, and there are many shows out there more worthy of time than Heroes.
P.S. Did I mention they killed a bunch of Hot Brunettes? Wrong I tell you, it's just Wrong!
Red @ Nov 2nd 2009 8:19PM
IDK about comercials. However, I watch more T.V. now that I can watch the shows when I want. I agree with bobjfs, even when FF you still get the idea of what they are advertising. So in a way I guess I am watching more commercials....
JeffDM @ Nov 2nd 2009 8:23PM
I wonder if the advertisers are going to go along with that. We have more people watching the actual shows, but the advertiser needs to believe that those people are watching their ads too. Also, the networks are just one piece of a typically shrinking advertising budget, if the advertiser won't pay, the money will just go to some other medium.
Kevin White @ Nov 2nd 2009 10:08PM
My FiOS remote has a button that advances by 30 seconds, instantly. I hit it four or five times and we're back. I don't even watch sports live anymore.
Ben @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:03AM
I think this report shows how successful the cable companies have been at keeping users from changing the way people watch TV, by neutering DVRs.
The best example of this is the 160GB hard drive. I mean you'd have to watch something in three days or it would get deleted to make more room for something else. Then there is the lack of 30 second skip and the relatively slow fast forward, you end up watching most of the commercials anyways so it appears many users figure why bother fast forwarding at all.
But with the cable offered DVRs so cheap, I wonder if "real" DVRs will ever break into the mainstream. It is just really hard for companies like TiVo to convey the value of a new way to watch TV when people are so used to the way they've done it for so many years and the cable companies undercut the costs to go 3rd party -- while at the same time making some features (VOD etc) only work on 1st party DVRs.
No, it seems like the DVR revolution where people stop watching linear TV is far from here.
ReggieJax @ Nov 4th 2009 4:06PM
Go to weaknees.com and you can buy add-on hard drives for most popular cable and satellite dvr's.
dmccall @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:39AM
I was just telling my Time-Warner Cable installer (delivering an SDV tuning adapter) that the ability to use Windows Media Center has KEPT me at TWC. Otherwise I'd jump over to U-Verse in a heartbeat. TWC should view CableCARD DVR alternatives as retention mechanisms instead of competition to their equipment.
Larry @ Nov 3rd 2009 10:28AM
I watch commercials a lot when I think the commercial is entertaining. Sometimes I leave the commercials on if want to get up and get something.
Evan @ Nov 3rd 2009 11:10AM
DVRs are the last holdout that makes traditional cable/satellite distribution bearable for consumers in the face of internet streaming. The networks hate DVRs, but they hate internet distribution even more!
carg0 @ Nov 4th 2009 1:33PM
i don't give a rats ass how many features they slap on a DVR, im not paying any monthly fee to rent yet another box. period