NEW YORK : Within 18 months, the number of US homes able to view interactive television commercials will drive a huge increase in the number of advertisers using interactivity in their campaigns.

This finding is contained in a study conducted by newly formed BrightLine Partners, a company that is tracking the impact of digital media technologies on the television advertising market.

Interviews with top television advertisers and in-depth market research reveal that the 6.5 million US households with access to interactive television commercials needs to grow to just 10 million before the audience is a sufficient size to spur most television advertisers to incorporate interactivity into their commercials. BrightLine predicts that the threshold will be crossed by early 2004, with a number of factors driving the pace of deployment, including intensified competition among cable and satellite operators, the ongoing quest for new sources of ad revenue, and the potentially catalytic effects of Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of DirecTV.

The study states that effective positioning to prepare for a major departure from current trends in the use of digital media in TV advertising, coupled with an ability to rapidly execute new strategies, will distinguish savvy advertisers.

BrightLine co-CEOs Jacqueline Corbelli and J.R. McKechnie said, "Ironically, advertisers are having a hard time getting unbiased and fully informed guidance about current conditions in the TV ad market. Best positioned advertisers are expanding their capability to systematically track rapid developments in advanced TV services and quickly convert identified opportunities into fresh sources of ad strength and revenue potential."