TV Stations Without HD Spots Miss Opportunity

Advertising in high definition may impact consumers more than a traditional feed, but research shows a majority of local stations still are not accepting ads in the more pristine format.

Empower MediaMarketing, a multifaceted Cincinnati-based firm, found that 55% of stations surveyed don't take HD spots.

In April, the firm surveyed 962 local stations, with 241 responding across 37 states and the District of Columbia. Among the 55% that don't air HD ads, the survey also found only 12% of that group "hoped" to begin doing so soon.

Furthermore, among the 108 stations accepting HD spots, four said they are not then airing them in high def; instead, they are converting them to standard def before running them.

In an era of fragmentation and rise in online video, broadcast and cable networks are counting on the appeal of HD to continue to hold -- and build viewership -- on the traditional, living-room-dominating screen. Advertisers are also taking advantage of the HD format nationally.

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The results from the Empower survey are notable for the potential lost marketing opportunity for both local advertisers and struggling stations. SNL Kagan reported last year that 71% of U.S. homes own an HD set, although that does not mean all of them are actually receiving programming in the format.

Empower, which has worked for clients such as Red Robin restaurants and Shaw Floors, offers services that include media buying and planning and consulting.

Producing ads in HD is expensive, so with only a minority of local stations accepting the spots, Michele Dietz, who oversees local broadcasting at Empower, stated that spot advertisers "don't need to be in a huge hurry" to film them. She indicated that Empower will monitor local stations' progression through a survey next year, as it continues to advise clients on a cost-benefit in the HD arena.

Still, some large markets have multiple stations accepting HD spots, so it would make sense for marketers with heavy business there to produce the ads, Empower noted.

3 comments about "TV Stations Without HD Spots Miss Opportunity ".
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  1. David Tice from Hub Entertainment Research, June 17, 2010 at 12:05 p.m.

    May be a tempest in a teapot. In research done last year, we found that only about 20% of HD viewers both notice if ads are in HD or not and are more likely to watch an ad if it's in HD. A pessimist would say that ads may look better in HD but the actual payoff appears limited; an optimist would say something that may get 20% of an audience to pay more attention is great.

  2. James Reeves from Fourth Kingdom, LLC, June 18, 2010 at 2:52 a.m.

    Regardless of how many HD viewers there are, TV stations should still invest in HD equip. Is it really that much more expensive to produced a spot in HD? Who cares. If you're the only car dealer in the market with a high dep spot and you run a :30 in NFL Football, viewers will recognize that you stepped it up to HD... it's called branding and perception folks. http://www.thetvrep.com

  3. Mike Einstein from the Brothers Einstein, June 21, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.

    When I'm shuttling through the commercial breaks at hyperspeed with my DVR, I can hardly tell which of the spots I'm paying extra to avoid are in HD.

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