• Ad Age, Wednesday, March 8, 2006 11:46 AM

If marketers want consumers to watch their TV ads, all they need do is buy them a TV show for their iPod, according to new research. A new survey that examined attitudes toward iPods revealed that user would be willing to watch an ad if the marketer paid for a download of a show. Watching TV programs on iPods is becoming increasingly popular since ABC recently announced it would sell some of its most popular shows for $1.99 on Apple iTunes. The survey further revealed that viewers would be more likely to purchase an iPod if TV programs could be downloaded free of charge in exchange for watching a 30-second advertisement. "It appears that the option to download content of choice for free will dramatically increase interest in purchasing a video iPod, thus potentially increasing video iPod sales and penetration," reported the study, conducted by Market research firm Frank N. Magid Associates. "We believe that if there's free content out there, it will get people to buy the machines and sample the content," said Mike Vorhaus, managing director, Magid Associates.

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