Fox is testing a new advertising model with with tonight's two-hour premiere of "Fringe," aiming to reduce the number and duration of commercials for the entire season of the highly-anticipated J.J. Abrams Sci-Fi drama.
They are calling it "Remote-Free TV," but despite the unfortunate name the idea is create a win-win situation by subjecting viewers to fewer ads while still making the same kind of ad revenue.
How? By getting advertisers to pay more for less -- about 40 percent more. Why are advertisers buying in? Because, the theory goes, with fewer commercial interruptions there will be less opportunity or motivation for viewers to change channels (hence, Remote-Free TV), so the audience will be stable and loyal.
The basic concept isn't new, but the generally been restricted to special events and other one-off situations -- never for an entire season. In 2006, Nissan sponsored the first episode of
NBC’s “Heroes,” while more recently, Philips Electronics purchased all of the ad time during CBS's "60 Minutes" and NBC's "NBC Nightly News,"
allowing the shows more time to cover the news.
Of course, the success of "Remote-Free TV" will depend on how many viewers come out to support Abrams' new venture — and whether they really do abandon their remotes, or just fast-forward a little less.
See Also:
- Abrams on Fringe: Science, Conspiracies and 'The Pattern'
- Animated Fringe Teasers Set Tone for Series
- Fox to Stream Sarah Connor, Fringe for College Crowd
- Fringe Gets Its Own 'Pedia,' New Promo Posters
- First Look: JJ Abrams' Fringe
- Fringe Comic Plants More 'Pattern' Seeds
- Fringe Viral Print/Radio Ads Search for 'Pattern'
- Two-Headed Brain Trust Injects Fear Into Fringe
- Abrams on Fringe: Science, Conspiracies and 'The Pattern'
- Animated Fringe Teasers Set Tone for Series
- Fox to Stream Sarah Connor, Fringe for College Crowd
- Fringe Gets Its Own 'Pedia,' New Promo Posters
- First Look: JJ Abrams' Fringe
- Fringe Comic Plants More 'Pattern' Seeds
- Fringe Viral Print/Radio Ads Search for 'Pattern'
