Daily Content and Ads

[perceman]

Before I say anything else, I just want to say that I love Revision3, I watch a lot of weekly shows, and I believe that content providers like this one are the future of media and the internet.

Almost every day of the week, I enjoy and look forward to watching Revision3 shows. Real content, entertaining, free. Of course, I understand that to be able to produce that much content for free, the shows have to be supported by sponsors, and have to have ads. I have absolutely no problem with seeing a few ads in a 30- to 50-minute show, as I know that without those ads, I wouldn't be watching those shows.

I also like watching daily content: Tekzilla Daily Tip, Lil' Internet Superstar and popSiren Bite (I don't watch iFanboy). They are a welcome addition to the weekly shows. But over the last week, I noticed the ads for HP's new MediaSmart Connect. Then, when I started seeing it three times in a 5-minute interval every day, I new that something was wrong.

Like I said before, I know that ads are the only way to keep the content coming, but ads on daily content? I think it's too much. And to prove myself, I decided to show by the numbers that I was right:

(Format is Episode time / Ad time / Percentage of ads in the episode)

Monday:
Lil' Internet Superstar: 1:46 / no ads
iFanboy Mini: 4:21 / no ads
Total: 6:06 / no ads

Tuesday:
Tekzilla Daily Tip: 1:14 / 0:19 / 26.7%
Lil' Internet Superstar: 2:55 / no ads
iFanboy Mini: 1:44 / 0:17 / 16.3%
popSiren Bite: 1:27 / no ads
Total: 7:17 / 0:36 / 8.2%

Wednesday:
Tekzilla Daily Tip: 1:24 / 0:19 / 22.6%
iFanboy Mini: 4:16 / 0:17 / 6.6%
popSiren Bite: 2:43 / 0:26 / 16.0%
Total: 8:21 / 1:02 / 12.4%

Thursday:
Tekzilla Daily Tip: 1:15 / 0:19 / 25.3%
Lil' Internet Superstar: 2:37 / 0:27 / 17.2%
iFanboy Mini: 4:12 / 0:17 / 6.7%
popSiren Bite: 2:05 / 0:26 / 20.8%
Total: 10:06 / 1:29 / 14.7%

Friday:
Tekzilla Daily Tip: 1:22 / 0:19 / 23.2%
Lil' Internet Superstar: 1:49 / 0:27 / 25.0%
iFanboy Mini: 3:22 / 0:17 / 8.4%
popSiren Bite: 1:47 / 0:26 / 24.3%
Total: 8:18 / 1:29 / 18.0%

Weekly Total: 40:08 / 4:36 / 11.5%

As much as I like watching a daily dose of those weekly shows, I'm not planning on continuing if the 45-second segment is just a way to have me watch a 15- to 25-second segment of ads every time.

[tokenuser]

If there is an ad included, there is a minimum amount of time needed to present the advertisers message. Should the lower third be used for scrolling banner ads in these shows? What about the concept of blipverts?

Rev3 is advertiser supported. No ads = no daily content. I guess that is your approach as well - you don't want to see ads, so you don't watch the daily content. Thats your choice.

[samureye]

As much as I like watching a daily dose of those weekly shows, I'm not planning on continuing if the 45-second segment is just a way to have me watch a 15- to 25-second segment of ads every time.


What's the point you're trying to make? And how is it just a way to have you watch ads every time when there have been no ads for so long? In any case, the point is to get you to watch the ads on the show, so it's a take it or leave it situation.

[xibalba]

The numbers you posted don't seem bad to me at all. A few seconds is nothing.

[stumpy]

The numbers you posted don't seem bad to me at all. A few seconds is nothing.

Thats exactly what I was thinking while reading his post...

[mikec]

I think everyone except the OP wasted more time reading the post then watching the ads in the daily segments. Aren't the ads in the Tekzilla Daily's at the end? After you can tell that the content is over?

[perceman]

What's the point you're trying to make?

What I mean is that ads on a 1- to 2-minute-long segment are too much.

The numbers you posted don't seem bad to me at all. A few seconds is nothing.

I know, I realized that too after posting. But iFanboy is longer than the other dailies (3-4 minutes compared to 1-2 minutes), without it, the percentage is more like 25%.

After you can tell that the content is over?

They are, but that's not my point. What I was trying to say is that ads on daily 2-minute shows are just too much. Am I the only one watching the dailies and being tired of ads?

Also, I believe that dailies may be a way to attract more people to the weekly shows. Personally, if I discovered Tekzilla Daily now, with about 25% of ads in a 1-minute segment, that wouldn't make me want to watch the weekly show.

[samureye]

Kudos for having facts and figures to back up what you're saying, but really, I care more about the content and if we need some ads, then so be it, I think it's worth it.

I was catching up on the dailies, so I looked at 6-10 different ones in one go and the HP commercials were annoying, but they're not really meant to be consumed like that now, are they?

If you watch TZdaily in the morning, Lil Superstar midday and popsiren bite in the afternoon, that isn't so bad now is it?

[masherscf]

I don't see what the hubbub is over. So, the guy doesn't want to watch the commercials. It's not like they're going to remove the advertising just because he doesn't like it.

If a person is both too inconsiderate to watch the ads and too lazy to fast forward through them, I just don't know what to say.

[perceman]

I may have been misunderstood.

I have really no problem with watching ads on weekly shows, it's just that a daily show is too short to have an ad as long as the ones on the weekly shows.

:(

[rabidbadger]

ditto. masher, that was my thought too.

[kahunablair]

I kind of understand what he's saying.

It's not the fact that there are ads. It's the fact that they are using the same ad scripts for the shorter shows. Proportionately he's saying they should use a shorter ad in the Daily/Mini shows. I get it.

Sadly I don't think they can really do much about that. They are pretty concise as it is. I can't see them saying, "Go to GoDaddy!" And having them get ad money for it.

[kowgod]

I am so turned off by advertising that doesn't speak to me that I don't watch the dailies for exactly the reason Perceman stated. I dislike television so much that to see iptv follow the exact same lowest common denominator approach to advertising as, say, NBC, well... it makes me dislike the content.

I hope someone out there is researching a better way to advertise on internet video.

[perceman]

At least I'm not the only one feeling this way :D

Maybe an ad with a link in the lower third would be better? Or the host saying "This episode is brought to you by ..." just like in the weekly shows, but with only one sponsor, and not more than 10 seconds?

[mikec]

I am so turned off by advertising that doesn't speak to me that I don't watch the dailies for exactly the reason Perceman stated. I dislike television so much that to see iptv follow the exact same lowest common denominator approach to advertising as, say, NBC, well... it makes me dislike the content.

I hope someone out there is researching a better way to advertise on internet video.

Well, how about tracking your IP and then sending salesmen to pound on your door at dinner time?

Having ads works, unless you want the government to subsidize TV and IPTV. Maybe a TV tax like the British have? We could add computers if you like.

[kowgod]

Two people watching the same podcast should only see the same advertisement if their interests and demographics are sufficiently similar, regardless of the means of distribution (streamed versus downloaded).

Yes, it's possible.

[perceman]

Maybe a TV tax like the British have?

Same here in France.

[masherscf]

I think that contractually, the ad-spots have to be a certain length in order to collect. So, in that sense, the length of the actual video is irrelevant. Indeed, it makes a sort of twisted business sense. If the ads pay-out at a flat rate, per download, the daily bites are much more profitable because your not downloading much more than the ad itself.

[perceman]

... your not downloading much more than the ad itself.

... and that is exactly my point.