Ready or not, here they come

According to AdAge this week, the CW network has new research which says that people who watch TV shows online “…don’t need to be coddled with limited commercials.”

Conventional wisdom has held that viewers won’t tolerate more than one or two spots when watching a typical TV show online.

“Now CW will likely report the opposite is true: TV fans will sit through a longer period of commercials even when watching their show via non-traditional means.“

So, obviously, networks will begin to jam more ads into online viewing.

I think this research misses the point.

People will tolerate a lot of stuff they hate if the reward is big enough, but how receptive will they be to your product if they hate being forced to watch it?

It’s not media that is broken, for the most part; it’s advertising.

How does replicating a system that advertisers worry is increasingly ineffective help move products?

I’m supposed to believe that viewers who don’t want to watch a show on broadcast TV, or who will watch it, but who TIVO through the endless assault of ads, will gladly accept the same abuse when they watch on their computers?

For all its faults, broadcast TV still has a huge advantage in sheer numbers of eyeballs over online viewing.

If I’m buying into the “push” model of advertising, why would I settle for a tiny fraction of the people I can reach on CBS with my spot?

How can I put this gently?

WE ALL HATE WAITING EVEN ONE MINUTE FOR WHATEVER WE WANT.

WE ALL USE A DVR TO WATCH OUR FAVORITE SHOWS SO WE CAN SKIP THROUGH THE COMMERCIAL BREAKS WITHOUT WATCHING EVEN ONE OF THEM.

AND NO AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON RESEARCH TO REASSURE ADVERTISERS THIS BASIC PREMISE — WHICH EVEN THE ADVERTISERS UNDERSTAND FROM THEIR OWN PERSONAL BEHAVIOR AT HOME — WILL EVER CHANGE THIS BASIC FACT:

VIEWERS HATE COMMERCIALS.

Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

Is there a pill for frustration, because I need one before my head explodes…