Networks' experiments to keep flighty viewers tuned in to commercials include split screens and ad-sponsored microseries. For instance, TLC treated viewers to a glimpse of what was going on
behind the scenes of a home-makeover game show with a "box inside the box" during the show's commercials.
Networks that skew younger--such as Fox, the CW and MTV--are the most
aggressive because younger people channel surf more. CW offers 10-second "CWickies" ads and this season will debut "CWingers," in which the plot of the commercials start and end on TV, with the
middle part on the Web.
The trick is to keep both the audience and advertiser happy, says MTV's Tina Exarhos. "We can come up with an idea that the audience loves, but it has to
deliver on the sponsor's objectives."
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