It was bound to happen sooner or later and it now seems that the sooner the better. Before long, television networks could begin showing the same number of commercials for their streaming episodes online as they currently are on television. The plan will only be in effect for the first 3 days after a show has aired for online viewing, and the amount of commercials after that date would theoretically drop down to something similar to what they show today. This will be a major increase and how fans of online viewing will respond is still unclear. Currently, most networks are showing somewhere around 5 or 6 ad spots during an online episode, with commercials typically either 15 or 30 seconds long. The new plan appears that it would bump the commercial load up to around 32 spots per show. This massive increase in commercials for online episodes could alter a lot of viewing habits for those currently using the medium. Many seem to think that more and more people would turn to illegal downloads of the shows via bit torrent and peer downloading sites, though it seems hard to believe that number would grow large enough to make a significant impact. Personally, it just means that I'd make better use of my DVR, a tool that allows me to completely pass over the commercial breaks already.
This story also brings to question recent news that Hulu may plan to start charging their users through some subscription methodology soon. If Hulu, along with the other network sites, adopt this new commercial method, with anywhere from 25 to 32 commercials being played in their hour long online content, it seems more reasonable now that Hulu could also provide a subscription service where subscribers were spared the commercial and ad supported non-sense in exchange for their monthly payments. It would also help to alleviate the fears many studios have about the DVD market for their shows. DVDs would become another outlet without any ad interruptions.
The streaming of television shows online is still in it infancy though growing at a fast pace. Its no surprise that the networks are going to move toward a model that allows them to take advantage of this outlet to its fullest. But at such an early stage, what are your thoughts about this new advertising model, and will you still watch shows online? Will this decision drive you to download shows illegally or make you more likely to buy a DVD set of the show? Speak up and let us know what you think.
Source: TVbythenumbers
