RELEASE: MRG report discloses IPTV advertising opportunities

MRG Report Discloses IPTV Advertising and Where the Money Is Monday November 20, 7:00 am ET IPTV Industry Poised to Exploit Advanced Advertising Technology SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 20 -- With US cable TV ad sales exceeding $22 billion and growing at 12% per year, and Internet advertising at an estimated $12 billion and growing 20% per year, IPTV operators cannot ignore the unique advantage that IPTV technologies bring to their markets. "Timeshifting with DVRs and the rise of Internet Advertising has forever changed advertising," states MRG IPTV Director Bob Larribeau. "IPTV operators are at the point where they have to exploit their unique technical advantages." The new report, Advanced Advertising for IPTV Services -- November 2006, provides in-depth analyses of advanced advertising practices already in use by cable companies, including Long-Form, Telescoping, DVR Showcase, and Product- Placement Advertising. The report also describes a recommended step-by-step strategy for IPTV service providers to follow in adapting advanced advertising; and shows how basic local 30-second ads can be exploited due to the unmet demand by local advertisers. One of the most successful Advanced Advertising services used today by the cable industry is an imitation of Internet Advertising. It uses a zip-code based search approach that allows consumers to find automobiles and/or homes for sale using their Set-top-Box remote control. Using an ample amount of video clips to demonstrate the auto or real estate for sale, the service is targeted directly at local newspaper classifieds, and is proving highly popular in East-Coast cities where it is deployed. Another successful service-model in use is the Long-Form ad, that uses the VOD (Video-On-Demand) server to show free movie trailers, health advice, and travel-log video clips tied into special-interest portals on the EPG. Like the search-driven "pull" ads, these (Long-Form) ads exploit the VOD servers already installed in many IPTV networks, and provide an added revenue stream. Questions answered by the report include: What are the technology choices? Does advertising offer real service differentiation for operators? What can be learned from Internet Advertising? The (56-page) Advanced Advertising for IPTV Services Quarterly Technology & Content Report -- November, 2006 is available in printed form for $1,995.00US; as a Departmental PDF license for $2,995.00US; and is free as part of MRG's IPTV Tracking Service. For more information or to order the report, contact Rob Smith at 408-524-9767 or [email protected], or visit www.mrgco.com.