In a bid to allay fears in the advertising industry that no one is watching TV ads any more US TV network NBC are starting to air minute long 'vignettes' in the middle of ad breaks. The mini-movies appear in two 30 second chunks in two consecutive ad breaks - encouraging viewers to stay tuned in during the ad break. The first vignette aired during Will & Grace on Thursday night.
Finding innovative ways to encourage people to watch ads is becoming increasingly important. MTV recently piloted a project in the UK to encourage people to stick with the channel during the ads. On Sky Digital during Wimbledon fortnight viewers can play a bat 'n' ball game against the TV with their remote - their score is carried forward from one break to another providing viewers don't switch channel.