our destroyer, our savior

No less than five people sent me an article from the NY Times that was published in the Business Media Section on Monday. They all thought it would make a good blog topic. And, they were right.

The article states that to everyones surprise people are still into passive viewing even on DVR. When given the options to fast forward through the commercials they don't, or at least not as frequently as we'd thought. 

The survey claims 46% of viewers watch the commercials. There is no one happier to hear that news than me. Well, I guess there are other happier people like...

Andrew Donchin, director of media investment for ad agency Carat. He declares in the article the DVR isn't killing TV it's helping it. 

Or, Brad Adgate, Senior VP at Horizon Media, a media buying company. Brad believes the TV viewing social contract of ad supported programming remains effective despite DVR.

Another big believer in this study is Alan Wurtzel, president of research for NBC. He knows the results seem counterintuitive but the facts speak for themselves. 

Let's talk about the facts. The facts are based on a study by Nielsen. Are you sensing a common theme of self interest? Media buyers. Networks. Nielsen. All shockingly big endorsers and sponsors of the study. I hate to be a cynic especially on something that is advantageous to my business but this does feel as if someone could be cooking the books. 

Do I believe everyone fast forwards through commercials?  

Certainly not. Many of my generation or older watch. But the younger ones, let's say 18 and below, I believe the vast majority don't . Even still commercials won't die. They just need to be better. 

Commercials are content. They are part of the viewing experience. If you ask any kid that has a DVR if they watch TV commercials, there is answer is always NO. When you ask them again by referencing specific spots, they say, "Well, I guess sometimes". Then you follow up and say which ones, they almost invariably answer "The good ones."

I'm glad media companies and Nielsen are protecting their turf to protect my turf but it's a rationalization to maintain relevancy today for the model of yesterday. We still need to come up with the solutions and innovations for a model of tomorrow.