While scrolling my tweets this morning, I came across this link- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/business/media/dish-networks-hopper-cuts-ads-and-causes-tremors-at-tv-upfronts.html?pagewanted=all
It's about the uproar that Dish is causing with it's new Hopper and it's ability to skip advertising. Like the fellow who retweeted this, @mikedelic, I am lmao. I remember the advent of cable TV, back before the internet was the latest wave of invention to ride. Back then, we were ecstatic that we could actually pay for TV programming so that we didn't HAVE to endure the onslaught of commercials. I'm speaking of course about stations such as HBO and Showtime and MTV and CNNand TNT- the broadcast stations still had those annoying blurbs, but it was refreshing to feel as though we had a choice because after all we were paying for that privelege.
Back then, Home Box Office actually showed movies ALL THE TIME- with the exception of really awesome little 'shorts'. MTV actually played music ALL DAY LONG and didn't feel the need to blur it's lines or completely erase them by way of regularly scheduled non-music programs. And CNN was there to actually give news instead of dishing it with a healthy side of advertising. Yep, cable TV was young and fresh and new and relatively inexpensive and we loved it! For awhile anyway. Then the advertising started to creep in- in places that it shouldn't and all of a sudden one was left wondering just exactly what it was they were paying for.
Skip ahead to 2012. We still hate those annoying commercials and the advertising that the internet dishes out and tracks people by. Seems that the People In Charge Of Advertising forget that we are not puppets that will sit and endure their constant onslaught. For now, we know how to get up and walk away during a commercial and we still hold the freedom to NOT click on an adlink. For now anyway.
3 comments:
Cyndi, I love the blog!, and this was a very interesting perspective, and I agree. I understand why networks are upset about this; it’s the same reason they were upset about TV shows being available online, and I think this is an extension of that. Networks are already finding ways to advertise to use during a show, what with those little pop-up ads in the corner of the screen or that run along the bottom. It may annoy me, but it was a brilliant idea from an advertising perspective, and one brought on by the advent of DVR. Auto Hop is going to force innovation onto the networks and advertisers; they need to think outside the box a little harder now to get my attention or my money. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. The other reason I like this; as a full-time husband, father, and employee of Dish, I don’t have time to watch my favorite shows the instant they air. Almost everything I watch besides the news is off my DVR. I always skip the commercials anyway; this just does it for me.
Elias... thanks for writing:^) Times have changed and everyone, not just industry people and advertisers, have to look for ways to get their messages out to people. I laugh at their dismay because it's easy to be upset when you have tons of money to SPAM people with. If they had to rely on a shoestring budget as a lot of entrepeneurs do to get their messages out there, things like this wouldn't matter so much. They do, indeed, need to get more creative with how they do business and realize that the sheep aren't so much sheep any longer. Money IS everything, but it really ISN'T. That precious time that you speak of is the true EVERYTHING.
Hey Cyndi! I couldn’t agree more. The more technology advances, the more choices there are for consumers. That means giant companies and networks are going to have to learn something dinosaurs aren’t historically great with; adapt or die. That’s one of the reasons I actually love working for this company; Dish is constantly looking for ways to lead the back, instead of scrambling to catch up.
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