I have a argument to present for the few TV executives out there who happen to stumble across this.
Given the following:
- I watch TV via a DVR device (ReplayTV). I time shift virtually all of my TV viewing so I can skip all commercials. Therefore TV advertising is not reaching me.
- I employ a nifty little browser plugin to block almost all internet ads (Firefox+AdBlock). Therefore Internet advertising is not reaching me.
I submit the following:
- There is fundamentally no difference in me watching a TV program on my TV or via the Internet (P2P, YouTube, etc). The TV advertising has not sold me a product and the Internet site has not earned any money from my traffic to their site to watch/download the show.
- I am not unique, and the number of people who actively employ both of these technologies are growing.
A extra factor in this is now the presence of DVD box sets for shows. However, not all programming will come out on DVD. News (even fake news), sporting events, etc. do not fall into this category. Now, if I were a TV executive, I would rather control both outlets. Why not give free access to your entire catalog on your site for free. I would rather visit your site for a high quality product and even suffer through an ad before the show starts if you offered such an experience. I might even find out about other shows your network is offering.
Don’t treat us like criminals and don’t nickel-and-dime us. You will end up driving us away rather than to your products.