I like the heavy repetition of war imagery in your blogs, as well as the timely reminder of Christmas too.

Here's an idea WITH content for you:
Idea: A website which is much bigger than everyone else's, so you can watch cinema rather than TV.

Content: An epic serialisation of Watership Down (and beyond) in 3-D. The story would incorporate every other animated animal story, such as Ants, Finding Nemo, Grommit and Bambi. In the future, technology would mean you could actually touch the animals. How's THAT for throwing down the gauntlet?

Now the truce is REALLY over, let's see who picks up the baton. Ha ha!

Addressable advertising may be great but the company that you linked to wants me to register before I can view a demo. That says to me that they don't actually get it.

Hi chief,

Is the addressable advertising like the Smart TV that Murdoch just announced for Sky?

http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/smart_tv.html

Yes its exactly the same.

Seems like the US has been able to direct advertising to specific demographics and geographic areas for a while - thats what Visible World do (sorry about the registration requirement on the link). You can place specific copy (e.g. creative vehicles, featured products, offers, prices and calls to action) in specific areas down to someone's zip code.

However, that hasn't been possible in the UK until now. What Sky are talking about is using the location of your set top box (and other information?) to direct bespoke copy to specific audiences. I guess the advertiser would still buy a whole spot but then deliver addressable advertising within that.

Although I may be wrong, I got the feeling from Visible World that they were almost personalising the spots (along the lines of some virals) and I always find that gives them an intrusive feel. The Sky approach seems far more sensible even if I'm still amazed that people who pay for subscription TV are willing to countenance advertising being imposed on the airtime for which they have already paid.

I agree with john D.

IPTV is a platform for distributing TV content anytime/any place/anywhere. The main successes will probably be;
1. existing successes in new platforms; eg cricket matches or financial market news on your phone/desktop
2. deep interests; for instance a friend of mine developed an IPTV station for working scientists
3. a further extension of the 'on demand' model

All three cases are not advertiser friendly - and likely to be funded by subsrcription.

It sounds like branded IPTV is the next 'corporate website' wild goose chase. when the web was invented every brand thought it had to build a site. The few that succeeded were viable internet retailers and services and those who invested in standalone media platforms (eg communities) which they 'sponsored'.

It's the old 'advertising vs the rest of us' debate but in a thrilling (addressable) new form! Hands off IPTV I say. You will only get your fingers burnt.

:J

Come come.

The advertising issue depends on whether you are following an ad funded or subscription model.

I agree that advertising on subscription channels feels a bit shoddy. Notice that Disney Channels carry no advertising - protecting them from the decline in ad revenues for childrens channels that will follow the ofcom ruling.

We were once happy to have our newspapers subsidised by advertisers but maybe increasingly we will want them to adopt a free to read advertising funded model or an ad free subscription model.

There are three reasons that cause me to fast forward through TV ads (beyond my enthusiasm to get back to the programme) - lack of relevance of product, poor quality of communication, repetition. Addressable adveritsing offeres us the chance to reduce the fact that most of the ads that media agencies place (claiming to have done so through a rigorous understanding of the media consumption habits of consumers)are utterly irrlevant to the majority of the audience.

When it comes to broadband IPTV I am not saying run out and get your client to start up a TV station. The vast majority of IPTV stations will exist to serve special interest groups way down the long tail. BTW I don't believe that these will necessarily be advertiser unfriendly as they offer the opportunity for very tight relevance.

There will be clients where IPTV is a relavant course of action (where there is a brand community to be served like Mini in the US or a brand sponsored issue like the Campaign for Real Beauty).

Finally I think increasingly we will stop talking about websites and start talking about channels. In that the web will become dominated by rich media experiences rather than plonky flash environments. IPTV back ends are easy ways to do this.