DVR Kills

It is no secret that many of us do not like commercials and would rather just skip over them as we try to watch our favorite programs. Yet now due to the new technology that is DVR recording, one can simply skip over the commercials and focus on the program.

            This may seem like a very good outcome for those that love television and value their time too much to decide to waste it in watching commercials; however, this is hurting advertising companies because it means that less and less people are viewing their commercials.

            Advertising companies put in a great effort in designing captivating commercials to encourage consumers to indulge in a certain product, but if the majority of the targeted audience is skipping over such commercials in order to focus on a specific program, then that evidently hurts all advertising companies as well the companies producing the product.

            Another problem caused by DVR technology that was also mentioned in the article was the fact that networks still work hard in creating a specific lineup of intriguing commercials that they believe the audience will enjoy according to the kind of program they are watching. Yet, with DVR technology allowing consumers to skip through commercials, all the hard work of designing such a lineup is simply forgotten and not properly credited.  

            However a solution to this problem is quite interesting because not all people that record their programs actually skip through the commercials for several reasons. Many people simply forget they are watching a recorded program and so they accidently watch all the commercials; some people, in spite of having the option to avoid the commercials, choose to watch them because some immediately capture their eye.

            Networks are also battling this problem by adding more but shorter commercials and airing them strategically so that that the viewers that are fast-forwarding eventually find themselves rewinding to avoid the skipping any parts of their programs so they simply decide to watch a couple of commercials right before their program resumes.

            I felt this article was important because it raises the problems that advertising agencies have to endure due to the advancing technology. It proves that although technology is beneficial most of the time since it helps the media expand and share news quicker, it can also be a curse for those that do not have control over it. The article was also important because it shows the irony in which some companies face with technology; with the rising media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, companies cannot deny the fact that their products are being advertised quicker and reaching a much larger audience than previously predicted, yet this also means that they lose other audiences such as their consumers from TV.

            This article caught my eye because I could relate to it; since I usually have a lot of homework, I do not have the time to watch a full program during the week and so I simply record it and watch it over the weekend. Since I am “part of the problem” because I too am guilty of skipping through commercials, I know I could relate to the article in a better way.

            As a student, this article impacts me in the way that I have learned something new about DVR and advertising companies. Although I was aware that advertisers are losing the money and attention of their audiences, I thought they would not mind as much because the Internet is now playing a huge role and so the consumers lost through the DVR would be made up with the those that are constantly are social networks. Yet, this is obviously not the case and I think that advertisers do not want to lose any of their audiences for two main reasons; first off, TV audiences and Internet consumers are two completely different people and advertising companies are aware of this and so they know that losing one group does not necessarily mean that the group will be made up with the audiences from the Internet. I also believe that the advertisers do not want to lose any money and so they are willing to try anything to somehow encourage and keep their audiences.

            As a future filmmaker this impacts me because it lets me know of the disadvantages that I can possibly face as technology is developing. For example, I do not really see the purpose of 3-D movies and so I probably will not use such technology for any of my movies but that could really hurt me. I will have to accept the fact that some people do enjoy 3-D and that I could potentially lose a lot of fans and audience members by opting out of the technology but that would have to a consequence I would be willing to fight.

            As a consumer, this affects me because I am contributing to the panic advertisers are facing since I skip past all the commercials in a recorded program. Although some commercials do make me stop because they are entertaining, such situations are very few, and advertisers are aware of this. Yet, this can also serve as a challenge for advertisers because now they are force to create new commercials are better and straight to the point because that is the only way that people will actually pay attention to them, so this could actually be a blessing in disguise.

            After reading the article, I was several questions, especially for the advertisers. What are they going to do to keep their audiences from skipping their commercials? Are they still determined to dedicate their time and effort in improving the situation with the DVR and TV, or will they eventually realize that the problem will only become worse? They could always pull away from TV commercials, and instead, invest their time in developing their advertisements in other venues such as the Internet.        

 DVR Causes Problems for Commercials