Freeview's "road block" TV advertising drives home the point
The fact Freeview considers screening the same ad on all five major networks simultaneously a "road block" shows how out of touch the broadcasters are, argues Adam Turner.
You saw the new Freeview ad on Sunday night, yeah? You must have it seen it. It was impossible to miss. It was on all five major networks at 6.29pm on a Sunday night - a "road block" as Freeview put it. Everyone sits down as a family and watches live television on a Sunday night, don't they?
The world is changing, audiences are fragmenting and people are finding more ways than ever before to entertain themselves. Road blocks become obsolete when all roads no longer lead to live television.
Freeview's language betrays that fact that the networks still think they can dictate our viewing habits. If you've looked closely at the Freeview concept you'll realise that it's primarily designed to fight off Foxtel and scare/trick people into buying PVRs which don't allow ad-skipping.
It's all about controlling the viewer rather than empowering them, and things would probably be worse if IceTV hadn't won its EPG battle with the Nine Network.
Ironically I had to set a PVR to record the ad on Sunday night, because I very rarely watch live TV. Even then I missed it, as I thought it was on at 7.29pm. I ended up watching it on YouTube. I think that one story encapsulates the modern television experience right there, and it's something the networks need to come to terms with if they want to remain relevant - especially with Fibre to the Home coming.
The latest Freeview ad was just as heavy on rhetoric and light on detail as those before it, although it was interesting to see talk of "five" new channels rather than "fifteen". I guess that was too much BS even for Freeview.
The ad still used the phrase "switch to Freeview", giving the incorrect impression that you'll need Freeview-endorsed gear to watch these five extra channels. There are more ads coming this week and I'm betting they reinforce the idea that you need Freeview logo in your lounge room. You don't - any equipment with a HD tuner will let you watch all the new channels.
Of course the Freeview ads won't tell you that half of the new Freeview gear won't actually be compatible with the upcoming Freeview EPG. So much for future proof.
Freeview is a last desperate act by an industry that realises it's losing its grip on viewers. Don't believe the hype.
Other Blog Entries written by Adam Turner:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Comments: 1
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wbeasley
May 11, 2009 7:08 PM
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Glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought there were going to be 10 new channels :)
Freeview is a crock. It's confusing people (mainly like my parents who asked do they need a new box). Once I got them sorted with a new set top box they were happy with the few extra channels. The sooner the Freeview ads go away the better! |