• Ad Age, Monday, April 24, 2006 10:33 AM

Comcast COO Steve Burke told an industry crowd late last week that once more of the technological issues get ironed out, the demos for video-on-demand customers suggest that the format will present a huge, untapped opportunity for advertisers. Overall, Burke said, the audience is young, sophisticated, and well-heeled. And it is growing fast. Currently, however, it is difficult for advertisers to buy time across multiple cable operators, which has frustrated some buyers, leading them to other media, such as podcasts. But ads will shift back to pay and free VOD programs in the near future, predicted Burke. He noted that with online video the "eyeballs came first and then it took a little while for the advertisers to get there.... Our hope and belief is that's what's going to happen with VOD." He cited evidence from Comcast's own research that showed the trend toward VOD adoption among the company's most desirable (i.e., young) subscribers.

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