Monday, January 12, 2009

State-Owned TV Goes Commercial-Free in France

AdAge: With Outlook Gloomy for Private Channels, Where Will Ad Dollars Go?-- In a move known in France as "le big bang," prime-time advertising has been dropped from state-owned TV. Commercials will disappear completely from those stations by the end of 2011, essentially erasing some $700 million in ad outlays.

Bang it up Baby!

This is awesome! "TV-viewing figures were up more than 10% across all channels, from 27 million to 30 million"

The French analysts are worried that the ad spend will disappear and the GFC/tightening of belts will impact further on the ad-drop. But it isn't about that- it's about consumer experience, making better programming that's more engaging. Less The Big Bang Theory (absolute drivel and shit), and really Le Big Bang style content.

And advertisers, if you're really worried, invest your marketing budgets in the creation of your own programs! The creation of an engaging 12 episode series will have longevity like you could never have imagined.

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