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NBC creates product-placement-centered programs; Candidate for P2P Distribution?

Quote:

View: NBC Universal, ad agency to create product-centered programs
Source: Physorg
posted with Augi's modified TFP thread generator

NBC Universal, ad agency to create product-centered programs
(AP) -- A newly formed NBC Universal production unit is teaming up with an advertising agency to create programs around sponsors' products, the company said.
NBC Universal Digital Studio will work with a division of Omnicom Group Inc. to create programs that help advertisers sell their products, the entertainment giant announced in a statement Thursday. The programming will be broadcast on NBC Universal's digital properties, such as Web sites.

"We are proactively working with our clients, the advertisers, to deliver compelling content to our audiences, wherever they are," NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman said in the statement.

Digital Studio's first productions, which will premiere this summer, are a science-fiction series starring Rosario Dawson called "Gemini Division" and a quirky comedy about a college-aged zombie called "Woke Up Dead," said NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.

Intel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are among the first brands involved with the development of "Gemini Division," the statement said.

The collaboration between NBC and Omnicom offers "a unique way of giving brands a seat at the table with writers and producers in developing episodic programming that ties directly to brand needs," Omnicom Media Group Digital chief executive Matt Spiegel said.

NBC Universal spokesman Joe Libonati did not immediately return a phone message seeking additional details early Friday.

We have all seen it, we all cringed at it. Now they are aren't even going to hide it: product placement. NBC is making programs that are entirely designed to be product placement.

To move this into a new, unexpected direction, let's talk about downloading. If you think about it, a big concern with people pirating media from the tele is that all the commercials are gone and the thing that was bringing you the show isn't even displayed. Now the sponser clearly has their product in the show... so why even have commercials? Wouldn't this be a great thing to distribute online?

There are all ready some media that have teamed up with torrents: Lamont, Next Great Canadian Prime Minister. Now with product placement in the show, what would really stop NBC from distributing it via torrents?

I don't mind seeing products, I definitely cringe when the in your face obvious shit though. Smallville is horrible about product placement.. The Stride gum thing a few episodes ago made me sick and if I hear Chloe mention her Yaris by name one more time I'm gonna hurt somebody.

As much fun as "Woke up dead" sounds.. I'm not watching it out.

Here's the thing... all of you online types and TIVO types have neutered linear ads (ie the stuff they show during the break). Revenues are dropping. Revenues that are needed to produce the programs you like to watch.

Welcome to the future.

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Originally Posted by Charlatan

Exactly. Can we next eliminate the cost to broadcast it through the boob tube and distribute through the new p2p ... boob tube [kinda let that fall apart]? The question is whether it is cheaper to distribute this product-infested TV show through the television provider or through P2P distribution networks?

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Originally Posted by Charlatan

The life cycle has changed so much. I thought it interesting that the On Demand commercial slugs are sometimes filled with commercials!

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The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as the show's sponsors

Here's a great example of just one "placement type program you may have heard of:

A Charlie Brown Christmas brought to you by Coca Cola: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas

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The special has not been seen in its original, uncut form since the first three telecasts in 1965, 1966 and 1967. Much of this is due to the opening and closing credits containing references to Coca-Cola, the show's original sponsor. Specific, acknowledged cuts are:

* The main titles have Linus crashing into a Coca-Cola sign after Snoopy has spun both him and Charlie Brown around with Linus' blanket. In the versions currently available, the viewer never sees where Linus' trajectory lands him.
* In the "fence" scene, where several of the Peanuts gang are attempting to knock cans off a fence with snowballs, Linus is seen knocking down a can with his blanket. In the original airing, this is a Coke can, but was later replaced with a nondescript can.
* The final end credit originally had text and graphics wishing the viewer a "Merry Christmas from the people in your town who bottle Coca-Cola." This is why the "Hark!" chorus sung at the end trails off oddly before the song would normally end, as an announcer originally did a voice over this point in the credits to repeat and reemphasize the local bottler's well wishes to the TV audience.

Although the FCC eventually imposed rules preventing sponsor references in the context of a story (especially children's programming), this had no effect upon the decision to impose these edits. The Coca-Cola product placement elements were removed when the company ceased being the sole sponsor, replaced in 1968 by Dolly Madison snack products, who continued to sponsor the Peanuts specials through the 1980s, along with McDonald's. While current FCC product placement rules would prevent restoration and broadcast TV airing, the sole reason this footage has not been restored for the DVD or VHS releases has been related to royalties that would have to be paid to The Coca-Cola Company for use of their trademarks.

And now this tribute to the late great Milton Berle Brought to you by Texaco (Chevron oil today)

Quote:

"Oh, we're the men of Texaco
We work from Maine to Mexico
There's nothing like this Texaco of ours!

Our show is very powerful
We'll wow you with an hour full
Of howls from a shower full of stars.

We're the merry Texaco men
Tonight we may be showmen
Tomorrow we'll be servicing your cars!

We wipe your pipe
We pump your gas
We jack your back
We scrub your glass

So join the ranks of those who know
And fill your tanks with Texaco

Sky Chief, fill up with Sky Chief
You'll find that Texaco's the finest friend your car has ever had

...And now, ladies and gentlemen... America's number one television star... MILTON BERLE!..."

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Originally Posted by Augi

While there are certainly costs involved in the distribution, those costs pale in comparison to production costs. Personally, I like linear TV on the tube.

Let me correct that... I like programmed television. It doesn't have to be linear. I suppose it could be on-demand. I like it the same way that I like reading magazines of a certain genre. I go to a Home and Garden channel to get the best Home and Garden content, Sci-Fi Channels for Sci-Fi, etc. I see the cable channels as doing much of the creative niche programming while the networks have the muscle and budget to do things like drama and news (though this is changing too).

I have to wonder if services like Babelgum and Joost are the future.

If they, or some form of IPTV or P2P, are then bandwidth is definitely going to be an issue and net neutrality will be an unavoidable factor.

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Originally Posted by pan6467

So what?

It's how television and radio got its start. Just a few off the top of my head and verified by Wiki:

Anyone remember "Texaco Star Theatre" starring Mr. Television Milton Berle?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Milton_Berle_Show

How do your think soap operas got their name?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_opera

Here's a great example of just one "placement type program you may have heard of:

A Charlie Brown Christmas brought to you by Coca Cola: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas

And now this tribute to the late great Milton Berle Brought to you by Texaco (Chevron oil today)

There's a difference between product placement and product produced.

We've already had some heavy duty product placement in shows like 24, The Sopranos, and Seinfeld.

One of the problems with this kind of producing is the fringe things may not get produced as the adverstisers may not allow their products to be used within the confines of the questionable show.

But the more notorious kind of product placement is something wherein the story is the adverstisement ala Mac and Me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_and_Me

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The film is infamous for its numerous and blatant product placements, including Coca-Cola, Skittles, Sears and McDonald's, to name a few. The main character's name, Mac is a reference to McDonald's Big Mac sandwich. The only food the aliens require are Coke and Skittles. A ten-minute-long impromptu dance number, featuring Ronald McDonald, takes place in a McDonald's franchise which led Leonard Maltin to call the film "more like a TV commercial than a movie".[2] However, according to Seth Stevenson, "there was no quid pro quo between the filmmakers and these companies."[3] In spite of the latter statement, during the scene where Mac is drinking a Coca-Cola, director Stewart Raffill comedically holds up four $100 bills in the background.

pan are you saying so what and accept that this kind of crap would be fine with you? what about shows about drugs and alcohol rehabilitation, if the sponsors and product placement were products like Xanax and Budwieser and they put the little tag, "use responsibly"?