News: 0175266485

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

TV Ads To Target Households on Individual Streets in UK (msn.com)

(Wednesday October 16, 2024 @05:20PM (msmash) from the how-about-that dept.)


An anonymous reader shares a report:

> Households on individual streets will be [1]targeted with personalised adverts under plans being rolled out by Channel 4. The channel is to use new technology which will allow brands to tailor who sees their advert by enabling them to select a demographic within a specific location down to street level. For example, someone watching Made in Chelsea on Channel 4's streaming service could be served an ad for a fashion brand in a local outlet to them if a particular fashion trend is being discussed.

>

> Advertisers can further optimise their campaign by selecting from 26 programme genres, as well as time of day and device the show is being watched on. It forms part of a wider update to Channel 4's streaming platform that the broadcaster hopes could boost revenues by as much as $13m. The company will launch a new private marketplace enabling brands to buy advertising space directly in real-time. This will allow advertisers to amend their campaigns to respond to events, whether that be real-world events such as local weather or developments in fictional storylines within TV shows. Channel 4's new ad targeting also includes more detailed data to track whether a viewer has made a purchase after seeing an ad, as well as new viewer profiles for brands to target.



[1] https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/tv-ads-to-target-households-on-individual-streets/ar-AA1rRR6L



And? (Score:2)

by algaeman ( 600564 )

Is this controversial? Streaming services have been doing this from the very first day.

Re: (Score:3)

by PPH ( 736903 )

My VPNs geolocation says I live in the town of AnonymousProxy.

So-called "targeted" ads... (Score:2)

by MpVpRb ( 1423381 )

..are still stupid, incredibly stupid.

I would love accurately targeted ads.

If I was in the market for a product or service, I would invite all providers of the thing I was looking for to send me their pitch.

It would be limited to exactly what I was looking for, without spam.

After I decide to buy, or nor, ALL pitches would stop.

Today's sad excuse for targeting uses broad categories like men over 50. They might as well be random.

Even worse, when I buy a product, I get an avalanche of ads for the thing I just

TV License? (Score:3)

by Cpt_Kirks ( 37296 )

Do they still get to pay for the "privilege" of seeing these targeted ads?

Re: (Score:3)

by hwstar ( 35834 )

Muddied statement.

The TV license costs cover the BBC's operating costs. BBC channels are commercial-free. The independent channels are ad-supported.

You can't really get away with saying you only watch the independents when they knock on your door and ask to see your TV license though.

Those poor Brits! (Score:2)

by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 )

Not only are they now having targeted ads shoved down their throats, they still pay a yearly licensing fee equivalent to 220 US dollars for the 'privilege' of having their eyes and ears violated.

Re: (Score:2)

by smooth wombat ( 796938 )

$220 per year is nothing. Basic cable in the U.S. is close to $100 per month. Once you start adding in the "special" channels which come as a package (all sport, all entertainment, etc) you can easily reach $200 per month.

And you still get ads.

Re: (Score:2)

by PPH ( 736903 )

> Basic cable in the U.S. is close to $100 per month.

But rabbit ears are free.

Re: (Score:1)

by rudy_wayne ( 414635 )

>> Basic cable in the U.S. is close to $100 per month.

> But rabbit ears are free.

If you only want 5 or 6 channels, and you are happy with what is on those channels, then, yes.

Re: (Score:1)

by rudy_wayne ( 414635 )

> These targeted ads seem like a lot of trouble ... and money. Hope the payoff is worth it...

That's the hilarious part. There is an enormous amount of evidence, going back decades, that most money spent on advertising is wasted. But the Fear Of Missing Out is so strong that people can't bring themselves to stop wasting money on advertising.

Who watches linear TV these days (Score:2)

by hwstar ( 35834 )

Looks like an act of desperation on Channel 4's part.

Unless you're a sports fan, why would you bother with linear TV?

(In fact, why would you bother with anything on Linear TV. It's mostly garbage IMHO.

OTA TV Broadcasting and Cable TV is a dying business.

Sports programming still is viable, but commands a pretty penny from the sports leagues which an advertising-only model is growing increasingly incapable of supporting.

Big Brother is listening to you (Score:2)

by kmoser ( 1469707 )

> For example, someone watching Made in Chelsea on Channel 4's streaming service could be served an ad for a fashion brand in a local outlet to them if a particular fashion trend is being discussed.

Discussed...by whom? Is the TV listening to your discussions?

It's not, but big business is dumb (Score:2)

by ebunga ( 95613 )

They'll spend $20,000 out of the accounting budget each year to see if there's even a possibility to save 1% on something from another department that costs in total under $2500 a year. They'll spend millions on a free wifi scheme at their stores that will track phones and present targeted ads at the point of purchase knowing full well that even if 100% of every purchase recommended by this idiotic scheme went through it would never make back a fraction of its cost. They'll have marketing departments stuffe

Do not think by infection, catching an opinion like a cold.