Sky launches ‘On Demand’ advertising
Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews
| 28-04-2009
BSkyB has pioneered the use of ‘Red Button’ interactivity, a model that’s been imitated on many of the world’s pay-TV systems. Now the company is pioneering the Green button, for a sophisticated advertising model.
In essence, Sky is launching its Green Button ‘Bookable’ advertising product, a service which allows viewers to easily watch and access extended - or ‘long form’ – advertising.
“Built upon the same underlying technology as the successful Green Button programme reminder service, advertisers will be able to encourage viewers to press the Green Button on their Sky remote to book longer-form content into their Sky Guide or to record content onto their Sky or Sky+HD set-top box,” says Sky.
Through the Green Button, viewers will be offered the opportunity of watching extended versions of ads, finding out more about particular products or services, or accessing related behind-the-scenes or exclusive footage. This could include, for example:
- an extended edit of an existing linear TV ad - where original footage was cut in order to work within the confines of traditional linear ad breaks
- a behind the scenes ‘making of’ documentary, outlining how a particularly innovative ad was created
- access to exclusive content, performances or extras that relates to an advertisers’ products or services - particularly well suited to record companies, movie studios and other media or gaming companies with access to content and talent, or
- advertiser mini-episodes - in the tradition of the Nescafe couple and Oxo family
“Green Button content can potentially range from 2 minutes to 2 hours and the service even allows for the series-linking of advertising content, for those brands wishing to create episodic advertising,” says Sky.
Each piece of advertiser-created programming will be made available to Sky homes with standard digi boxes twice a day - viewers will be prompted with an on-screen reminder to watch a selected ad when it becomes available. However, in 4.6 million Sky+ homes, viewers will have the opportunity to have the ad stored on their Sky+ planner for playback at a time of their choosing.
The first campaigns to take advantage of Green Button advertising include Warner Brothers for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (PHD), McMillan Cancer Support (PHD), T-Mobile (Mediacom) and Fox’s Ice Age 3 (Vizeum). Final testing of the service is currently underway in readiness for an expected June 2009 launch. It is anticipated that the service will initially roll-out across 50 channels in the Sky Media portfolio, including all of Sky’s wholly owned channels.
Bookable advertising further extends the long-from advertising opportunities offered to advertisers, complimenting ‘red button’ interactive advertising and pre-roll/post-roll advertising via Sky Anytime ‘push’ video-on-demand service.
© Rapid TV News 2009
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