TV program underneath. Maybe.
Oh, yeah. Nothing like reusing failed technology to add another nail to a dying coffin. So to speak.
That hallmark of Internet life – the pop-up ad – may be coming to a TV screen near you.
Cable and satellite TV companies serving the Tampa Bay area have begun experimenting with onscreen features and advertising that are more interactive and, they argue, helpful for TV viewers and clients.
The first interactive pop-up TV features range from a caller ID screen that shows who is calling – in a window that appears on the TV screen – to interactive car ads that ask viewers to click their remotes if they would like to find a local dealer.
For now, the new pop-up features are subtle and voluntary for viewers holding the remote control. But media experts say new forms of interactive TV advertising are likely to emerge and take off as marketers devote more money to reach consumers who have an increasing array of media choices competing for their disposable time and attention.
Now, here’s a suprise. Some people actually didn’t like the idea???
Still, not all cable companies are sold on pop-up ads.
“We tried this in test markets and, frankly, it was not well-received,” said Michael Thompson, director of marketing for Knology Inc. cable systems, which provides cable in parts of Pinellas County. Knology tested interactive ads and onscreen games such as solitaire two years ago.
“People saw it as almost a nuisance,” Thompson said. Customers consider TV viewing a passive “lean back” experience on the couch, compared with an active “lean forward” experience at a computer.”
And then there’s this story I stumbled on about NBC and pop-ups. Not sure when it was written.
After finishing its spring advertising sales drive with less than $2 billion in primetime ad commitments, fourth place network NBC has started using pop-up ads to recoup some of those losses. “I think people have come to tolerate those pop-up ads on the Internet, and they’ll appreciate seeing similar ads during episodes of ‘Law & Order’ or ‘Joey’ on our [fourth place] network,” said NBC Universal Television Group president Jeff Zucker.
So, where can I buy a pop-up blocker for my TV?
‘Almost a nuisance’ eh. Who’d have thought it!
Well I never
etc etc
I love it when people tell me they’re unaffected by advertising. The brilliance of it is even if you don’t buy the product and wouldn’t dream of it, there are twenty others you do that are all reinforced by shared exposure.
When I meet somebody else willing to admit that they ARE affected by advertising, I recognize them as someone who actually understands it.
On the other hand, if this becomes an actual problem, what’s it going to accomplish except to encourage people to watch tivo’d downloads? Its pretty rare that anyone even publishes a book you can’t find anymore.
Then again, thinking that there’s more than a small minority of folks who’d think to do such a thing probably gives too much credit to the average couch potato.
I record everything I watch on a DVR so I can skip the ads.
How to make a pop up blocker for the cable
1. Wire a plug onto the end of the cable line as it comes from the street
2. plug it in the ac outlet
The pop ups will be gone afterward.
“I may be vile and pernicious, but you can’t look away.” Frank Zappa “I Am The Slime”
Awe fuck… So much for enjoying good old fashion World Cup games… Luckly, their prolly gonna be streamed somewhere online, where my pop-up blocker can take effect! Plus, it’s not happening on DVD’s is it?
I’ve covered the lower three inches of my tv screen. I’m thinking of cancelling cable and substituting NetFlix and the internet.
Sylvia
“Plus, it’s not happening on DVD’s is it?”
Just wait.
Disgusted!! That’s about what sums it up for me. I might have to be subjected to pop ups on my television as well as my computer. I am immediately turned off by someone trying to pitch a sales line to me, and that includes pop ups. The comment above saying that he loves it when people say that they arent affected by advertisements has a point. I am affected, I am immediately disgusted and pushed in the exact opposite direction. If I am going to purchase something I do research on it and form an opinion based on the information that I gather, and the research does not involve sifting through television commercials, or pop up ads. You have to know which products to search for when doing the research right. Wrong! If I am going to buy a TV, I run a search for televisions. I take the list and proceed to check out options, reviews, and other things of that nature. I dont go off of a list that I have compiled by watching pop up ads and keeping track of them. Damn the nasty pop up ads, and the people who are considering running them.
Locke — no pop-ups in the HD coverage of the World Cup. I haven’t checked it out, yet; but, supposedly the BBC is streaming their coverage for free on the Web.
Oops. Sorry. I went and tried and it appears it’s only available for IP addresses inside the UK.
NBC’s Zucker the Sucker said: “I think people have come to tolerate those pop-up ads on the Internet, and they’ll appreciate seeing similar ads during episodes of ‘Law & Order’ or ‘Joey’ on our [fourth place] network,”
I don’t tolerate pop ups or unders. IN fact, to paraphrase Dvorak, I don’t get no pop ups. I have succeeded in getting rid of them. And if they are neccessary to get to someones content, I look for the content elsewhere.
As for network shows, I just rent the season DVDs when they are released. No commercials. No pop ups. If cable and the networks want to chase me away let them.
Pop ups are already here. Just when the commercials are over, you’ve made the trip to the bathroom and settle down all comfy and the content rolls again that’s when the damn pop ups cover the bottom of the screen, promoting the next dismal little show the channel has lined up. Some even have sound, all distract from or cover portions of the content and yes, I’m gonna triumph over my TV addiction and toss the whole damned thing out the door, one of these days soon. But what the hell am I gonna watch while I eat?
Uhm. As I said earlier. SDTV feeds will bombard users with ads. The new digital specs have already been drawn up. This will be an attempt to push customers who dont want to see any ads into HTDTV services. The only option I can suggest to you people is stop watching tv, as I have, and just buy content on iTunes or wait for the DVD to come out. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever people have to be watching tv anymore. Its crappy content and propoganda. Why would you even sit and watch such filth is beyond me.
The only decent pop ups I’ve found were on VH1’s Pop Up video.
The’re already here. Some channels (I’m looking at you, FX) not only have an obstructive popup in the bottom right corner, but they often come complete with an annoying sound.
Who do you think was behind HDTV and the bigger screen format? It’s the advertisers. They want a bigger screen so they can load it up with more junk. Plus it will be bigger so you can see it better!!
Why bitch? Look how simple it is to disable it!
“It’s all about being interactive these days,” says Smith. “Since it’s not a computer and people can’t click away the ads with a mouse, we’ve set up a telephone number. It’s simple, each pop-up ad has a 16-digit number. For instance, the pop-up ad for Netflix has the identifying number 5478126945748596. Simply call the 1-900 number, which will cost about 99 cents per call, and listen to the menu options since they change routinely. When you hear the option for ‘close the ad,’ simply answer the questions in the brief survey and then enter your zip code. After that is complete, you can enter the 16 digit identifying number. The pop-up ad will be closed in that viewing section only if more than 70 percent of viewers from that zip code wish to do so. It’s easy.”
Whingers! (oooh! Looks like I can earn a diploma reading the dvorak blog!)
I just posted today that I am finally completely pop up free on the Internet. I canceled cable years ago.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/220/
When I see pop-ups, I close them in an instant. They’re in the way!! When I close a webpage and I discover a pop-up, I actually read it, because it is much less disruptive.