TBS’ Walk-On Ads Annoy
Thank you, Jason Kottke! The blogger has captured an insidious new ploy being used by TBS to promote one of its shows: During Family Guy, blue-collar comedian Bill Engvall walks on screen, pauses the show like a DVR, then launches into a pitch about his show’s new season.
Let me repeat that for you. He interrupts the show to plug his own. As if the persistent logo and constantly rotating ad overlays that junk up the screen weren’t enough, now you have a network mocking your DVR use and stepping on a joke (that it paid for). You have to see it to believe it.
Kottke sums it up best:
“I realize that Time Warner doesn’t actually care about the people who watch their shows and that television programs are just the networks’ way of getting people to watch advertising, but this is too much. Do these things actually work or just piss people off in droves?”
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The ad goes further by being posted here.
It worked well.
DN on June 4th, 2008 at 11:11 pm - Permalink
I would rather this for a short ad on something like Joost or HULU or ABCs player than switch to the Ad ect.
I think its annoying if its promoting another show but to advertise a targeted product or service for less than 15 seconds it might be appropriate.TBS and others seem to be testing the Waters with their own shows first before they sell ad spots to advertisers.
As for persistent overlays and ad overlays I find them less annoying than actual Ad breaks
Matt on June 5th, 2008 at 3:49 am - Permalink
I really, really, really found these ads annoying when I was watching the Family Guy the other night. I suppose the good thing for DVR owners is that they occur right before the last line of the scene before it goes to commercial, but watching the show live, I could not help but feel unfairly punished since I sat through every commercial break in real-time.
Glenn Rubenstein on June 5th, 2008 at 3:54 am - Permalink
[...] has begun pausing shows mid-scene to display ads for other TBS programs.The ad in question features comedian Bill Engvall walking on screen, pausing [...]
2008 06-05 MediaBytes: ICAHN - YAHOO - APPLE - IPHONE - TBS - FOX - PARAMOUNT - VERIZON - ALLTEL | MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer on June 5th, 2008 at 6:30 am - Permalink
Showtime has been doing this also. To promote the upcoming season of WEEDS.
Jeff Marks on June 5th, 2008 at 6:36 am - Permalink
Seriously, this is the most f*ed up thing I have come across on any TV station before. I’m at the point I would love to pay extra for clean TV programming, like XM radio, next to no commercials, where is the TV programming that has no lame ass commercials and pausing of shows?
Jack on June 11th, 2008 at 5:20 am - Permalink
i like how they pause it at the punchline, then go to a commercial after its paused. do a brought to you by message, and then the advertisement for the product that brought you the programming, and then an ad for the shitty show that paused the show to tell you bout the shitty show.
dj_doughy on June 12th, 2008 at 8:44 pm - Permalink
Yeah its pretty low when they pause TV shows in order to show small ads for other shows. Its bad enough when they run lower thirds for other shows etc., but this is going too far.
Family Guy Shirts, Clothes, DVDs on July 11th, 2008 at 7:16 am - Permalink