(20 April 2009 4:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Virgin Media has announced the findings from the first-ever dynamic advertising trial on its on-demand TV service.

As part of a three-month trial, ads from leading brands including Kellogg’s, John Lewis and Royal Mail, were inserted around selected on-demand programmes from Virgin Media TV, Channel 4 and Warner TV to 100,000 homes across north London.

Over half, 54 per cent, of Virgin Media’s trialists were positive about advertising when watching on-demand content from commercial providers. 65 per cent of them preferred to see ads beforehand, with ads lasting 30 seconds being the most popular format.

Respondents also favoured ads relevant to the programme being watched, such as hair care ads before Britain’s Next Top Model or ads for homeware after Grand Designs.

Virgin Media CCO Mark Schweitzer says, “There is a clear opportunity for on-demand television to deliver relevant ads to an engaged and growing audience. Our TV customers watched more than half a billion on-demand programmes during 2008 and the service’s popularity has grown by over 60 per cent during those 12 months."

On-demand, the study notes, clearly provides an actively engaged audience and this engagement is likely to have contributed to an increase in embedded advertising awareness.

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