• by Ross Fadner , October 29, 2008

DVRs aren’t all that old, but in a OMMA Video panel session entitled “The New DVR”, ad buyers and network TV executives pondered whether traditional media distribution through online video makes a suitable replacement. Short answer: “we’re still years away,” said Nick Johnson, NBCU Digital Media’s VP Sales, Broadband and Internet.

 

In the meantime, the network majors continue to dip their toes into online video waters while conducting extensive research about user engagementâ€"with the ultimate goal of devising new ad models based on that interactivity. “We see that the level of engagement is excellent,” said Ron Berryman, SVP and GM of Fox Interactive Media’s Stations Group. “We’re changing the way we develop advertising against it.” One of News Corp’s key findings, he said, is that there’s “no cannibalization at all” of traditional media consumption by online viewers, who cost a lot less.

 

However, the networks’ online video offering is still far from comprehensive. Amanda Richman, SVP, Director of Digital Services for Mediavest Worldwide, referred to a recent TV deprivation study in which the participants weren’t allowed to watch TV for two weeks, but were invited to find the same content online. “What was interesting is just how difficult it was,” Richman said.

 

So it becomes a question of what should come first: meaningful revenue or a comprehensive slate of online offerings? For NBCU’s Johnson, media companies should make all of their content available on the Web. “You hurt your relationship with the consumer if you don’t have a robust experience there.”