TV Revenues - Going And Not Coming Back?

It's a sign of the times that Thinkbox are able to maintain their story, whilst other Grand Fromage wonder out loud if old-school, blockbuster media revenues are not only going, but not coming back.  In response to a report from Lehman Bros, NewTeeVee's Liz Gannes doesn't mince her words: "I wouldn’t be as quick to discount advertising, but it’s important to recognize that a lot of advertising numbers have historically been crap, with pricing based on promises of “reach” and other fuzzy math extrapolated from circulation numbers and Nielsen ratings. Advertising will find its place in new media, but it may be a necessarily smaller chunk of its former self because accountability will only continue to improve online."  Maybe Garfield was right?

Comments

[Matt]

Great post; I think Bob Garfield was pretty much spot on, and Liz Gannes has her finger on the pulse - I can't see how it's a bad thing - more accountability surely means better results for advertisers; they'll pay more dollars for better audience targeting.

[James Cherkoff]

Thanks Matt, interesting point, as TV flows onto the web, it becomes measurable so brands only buy the half they know works...

[Mick James]

So "70% of DVR users skip past TV commercials". Well of course. That's what it's for. Linger over dinner and put it on "chase-play",reclaim those precious minutes of your life.

But invert that stat: 30% don't. Nearly a third of people who went out and bought an expensive DVR sit patiently through the ads even though the fast forward button is only inches from their finger.

Three non-exclusive explanations:

One: there is no limit to human laziness. I find this more and more when I'm online. Drag the mouse all the way up there and click it to get that free content? You must be joking. Thing weighs a ton.

Two: people are buying into the argument that skipping ads is immoral, stealing even. Soon they'll feel a moral obligation to actually go out and buy the stuff.

Three: This is what television-watching is for a lot of people, with ad breaks part of the natural rhythm of the show. They may well have been the only people who were watching the ads with any attention anyway--just because you can suddenly measure something doesn't mean it's only just happened. Is this a dying habit? Only time will tell.