Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 28 > Entry
Solo sponsors = fewer ads = better TV!
It’s not likely that we’ll see Brian, Katie or Charlie holding up boxes of laundry detergent during the evening news, but there’s a movement afoot for network newscasts to have single product sponsorships.
The goal is to unclutter the broadcast, a move that will benefit advertisers — whose messages are diluted by the barrage of quick-hit ads during the half-hour — and viewers. It’s annoying to be jolted from a bloody Iraq war story to an ad for blood pressure medicine or Metamucil.
A single sponsor would pay more money for the luxury of having a clear, solo message presented to the adult, well-educated, well-off people who tend to tune into network news.
Philips Electronics has signed on to be the single sponsor for “NBC Nightly News” next week. Instead of a dozen or more 15- and 30-second spots, Philips will have three spots totaling 75 seconds during the broadcast.
CBS has used a single sponsor for its “Evening News” before, as well as once or twice for “60 Minutes.” CNN has had entire news programs sponsored by one company, too.
Dan Rather’s new weekly news program, “Dan Rather Reports,” boasts a single sponsor on HDNet, but that might be because the seldom-seen high-definition cable network has very few advertisers to begin with. Rather’s single sponsor? Patron Tequila! Maybe we’ll get to see Gunga Dan take a shot or two during the program.
But seriously, folks, if this trend catches on, maybe we could see prime-time programming without 20 minutes of commercials in each hour of storytelling.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: News coverage
Comments
By austinights
November 28, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this
I think the trend is product placement, but the issue is writers not getting paid to write those products into the storyline. I'd be a happy tv writer to include some product into a storyline, if it was not too noticeable, with the hopes that I am still on the air. No sponsors in any capacity is definite cancellation. The CW network programs tend to sport a lot of product placement. For example, you will see someone walking down a school corridor and they just happen to stop by a Sunkist soda machine and a poster on the wall has some Anti-something slogan for millions to read. I, for one, don't mind product placement as long as its in moderation. People are drawn to basketball or football players wearing certain brands, so why not have their favorite TV character sporting a product. Jack Bauer is running to kill "some actors last scene in the show," but before he jumps in the helicopter he gets a bag of M&M's tossed downed with a Sprite, because he hasn't eaten. It can happen. I've seen him stop to handle his love crisis just before he stops an explosion.