have finally arrived.
In the past, when the networks and cable channels would overlay those annoying HUGE banner ads during a broadast... it was always some sort of self-promotion. --- For example: the text was something like "Coming Up Next: Bewitched" or "You're Watching The Simpsons!" or "Don't Miss The Season Premier of ER".
NOW it's starting to transition into SPONSORED banner ads!!! Last night I watched a (recorded) episode of "Mail Call" and there it was... big as life... a HUGE animated banner ad scrolled onto the screen letting me know that 'Mail Call' was being sponsored by VERIZON!
This was NOT a "bumper" ad... this was not a between-commercials ad... it was DURING the show. How nice! -- Nice and distracting. Nice and annoying.
Here's my next prediction: Eventually "regular" TV will look like a "Bloomberg News" broadcast. Where only 1/4 of the screen is the actual program. The other 3/4ths are devoted to scrolling text ads, static ads, and slideshow or animated ads.
Bloomberg screen capture.
Further predictions: Music radio will have songs interrupted MID SONG with a 5-second "sponsored by" announcement. Police will arrest suspected criminals and will say "Your Miranda rights are brought to you by Smith & Smith Bailbonds..." or something similar. HBO already shows commercials (of a sort) when they go "behind-the-scenes" to do interviews and promote current box-office releases... so it won't be long before they add scroll-on banner ads.
I predict TV's with multi-tasking processors that have pop-up or pop-over advertisements that require the viewer to move an on-screen pointer to click a "close" button... or to press a special "close ad" button on their remote control.
Maybe I just watch too much television. That must be it. Normal people aren't as annoyed by this as I am. Surely that's the case.
Thank you for listening.
-- Allen