• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 24, 2009

Utarget.FOX will unveil results today from a study measuring how online video extends the reach of television campaigns.

The research, conducted with U.K. cable operator Mediacom Communications, is the first in a series of studies the News Corp. company will engage in this year to help advertisers better assess the return on investment for online video.

The pre-roll campaign conducted with Mediacom's technology advertisers in the U.K. ran online from Nov. 26-Dec. 26 in tandem with the client's TV campaign. The online survey appeared throughout the campaign. Participants had an opportunity to win Amazon.com vouchers.

The research considered data from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) that suggests seven out of 10 households (with at least one resident ages 18-44) have broadband access. Two-thirds with broadband have Pay TV, compared with just more than 1 in 2 of those without broadband access. On average, this age group with broadband access spent 30 minutes less each day watching television, 3:01 per day vs. 3:31 for adults in homes without broadband access.

The study found that online pre-roll advertising works in tandem with television campaigns to extend the reach among those in homes with broadband. While the study focused on U.K. brands, Hernan Lopez, president of .FOX Networks and COO of FOX International Channels, said Utarget.FOX would likely see the same results from running the study in any one of the 18 countries it operates in, including the Hispanic market in the U.S.

"If you don't sublimate your television campaign with online video, you will reach less people who have broadband," Lopez said. "I'm not advocating taking money from television campaigns and allocating it to online, but brands can use traditional and online television synergistically."

Lopez said funds should not necessarily come from TV ad budgets, and he suggests reviewing campaigns to identify those that "under deliver" for specific age groups. Perhaps that's social media or search campaign, he said--one of the media lacking the power to deliver the brand's message.