Turner ReUps “TV in Context” for More Targeted Ads

Turner Entertainment Networks will be expanding its “TV in Context” advertising initiative to 100 movies and scripted TV shows on TBS and TNT next season, reports The New York Times. TV in Context is the cable company’s web-like advertising endeavor which connects advertising spots with relevant scenes in programming (e.g., a car chase scene in a movie would be directly followed by a car commercial).

We had our concerns with TV in Context when the program was announced last year, but Turner research says it showed improved scores among viewers across attributes like engagement, recall and purchase intent. And the program got big brands like Applebees’s, Best Buy and General Motors to sign on last year.

TV in Context is part of a growing movement to make TV ads more relevant to viewers and to keep viewers from tuning them out. TV in Context makes ad placement a little more precise and targeted, and if viewers are more engaged, perhaps they won’t zap the commercial when watching on their DVRs. Reducing commercial skipping would be good for networks and advertisers, as new numbers from Nielsen released today showed that more people are watching more hours than ever of time-shifted TV.

Networks and advertisers alike are trying all sorts of experiments to make TV advertising more valuable in these tough economic times. FOX tried out another web-like advertising scheme with “Remote-Free TV” for Fringe and Dollhouse this past season, running few commercial breaks during those shows. Unfortunately, FOX wasn’t able to charge enough of a premium on those fewer ads and scrapped the project. Movie studios have been placing static release dates in the black letterbox space on movie trailers, making information readable even when fast-forwarding through them. And Canoe Ventures, a joint effort from the nation’s top cable companies, should be announcing its targeted TV advertising products any day now.