Virgin Media (Nasdaq:VMED; LSE:VMED) today announced the launch of dynamic advertising on its on demand TV platform. Ads from leading brands including L'Oreal, Sony Ericsson, Kelloggs and Microsoft, will appear around on demand content from LIVING, Virgin1 and Bravo. Advertising will roll-out across Virgin Media’s on demand TV service, currently in 3.7 million households, beginning with 300,000 homes from this month.
Cindy Rose, executive director of TV at Virgin Media, said: “With over 66 million views of on demand content each month, there is a clear opportunity for on demand television to deliver relevant and effective ads to a growing audience. We saw a positive viewer response when we trialled dynamic advertising earlier this year and our customers welcomed campaigns that worked within the context of the programme they’d chosen to watch.”
Thirty second pre-roll and post-roll ads will be matched to the programme being watched: hair care ads shown before Britain’s Next Top Model or a supermarket campaign after Restaurant in our Living Room for example.
Virgin Media concluded a trial earlier this year1, revealing a positive viewer reaction to on demand advertising. Over half, 54%, of Virgin Media’s triallists were positive about advertising when watching on demand content from commercial providers. 65% preferred to see ads beforehand with ads lasting 30 seconds the most popular format2. Respondents also favoured ads relevant to the programme being watched3.
James Wildman, managing director of ids said: “By making the most of the flexibility and power of an on demand TV platform, we can develop creative campaigns and offer a new way to reach an already engaged audience. As we continue to evolve the proposition, we’ll bring greater relevance and more creativity to campaigns with new genre and content-based opportunities.”
ids, the advertising sales house of Virgin Media, is managing the advertising space for companies including Cadbury's, COI, Coty, Electronic Arts, John Frieda, Kelloggs, L'Oreal, LG, Microsoft, Nestle, Sony Ericsson and Unilever.
