DVRs Help Voters Avoid Campaign Ads

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/AP: DVRs Help Voters Avoid Campaign Ads
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 22, 2006

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Since the invention of the remote control, political campaigns have had a tough time persuading viewers to sit and watch their television ads rather than switching to another channel.

Now, the growing popularity of fast-forward, ad-skipping digital video recorders, including the technology's pioneer TiVo Inc., is forcing campaigns to rethink where and when they advertise. Viewer habits on using these DVRs are a critical part of any election strategy....

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One calculation for campaigns is what shows DVR owners typically record and watch at a later time when they're more likely to skip all the commercials. Television analysts say viewers are less likely to record live telecasts such as sports events, newscasts and entertainment programs like ''American Idol.''

In the remaining months of this election year -- and looking ahead to the 2008 presidential campaign -- political ads are more likely to show up on these programs, said (Steve Murphy of the Alexandria, Va.-based political consulting firm Murphy Putnam Shorr), who counts Tennessee Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen's re-election campaign among the dozen races for which he is consulting this year.

Josh Bernoff, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc....said Internet video provides advertisers with a feature that DVRs can't offer: spots that can't be skipped....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Skipping-Political-Ads.html

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. This is completely at odds with business research on the issue.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/19/AR2006081900124.html

An article just put out by Washington Post on Sunday on this very issue.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. You're right -- thanks for this link, Vash. nt