New Idea for TV advertisers

The age of the Internet has changed the way people work, purchase products, socialize, and consume media. The Net will have an even greater impact on the way consumers watch TV. According to World Internet usage.com, 76% of the North American population uses the Internet, and this number is growing every year. The Internet could, if implemented properly, make traditional TV advertisement obsolete.
Selling commercials to fund programming has been the standard since TV programming came into existence. This model presumes a percentage of the viewers seeing these commercials will purchase the advertised products. The more eyes on the program, the more chances the advertiser has of selling products. Excellent programming is canceled if it doesn’t reach an arbitrary number of viewers. Consumers dislike commercials because they interrupt their favorite shows, they use the time during advertisements to use the restroom, make food, or anything but what the advertiser wants, which is: watching the commercials. With the prevalence of DVR’s, bit torrent sites, ITunes, and other sources, viewers are not watching commercials. This way of advertisement is old and inefficient. One may ask what the solution is. The answer: a new form of advertisement needs to be implemented.
The Networks should develop special websites dedicated to each of their shows. For the most part, these websites are in place currently. One click on a program name would take the viewer to a list of sponsors for that TV show. Clicking any of these sponsors would prompt the viewer to submit their e-mail address, which the advertiser would e-mail coupons to. These coupons would cost nothing to produce, as the user would incur the cost of printing. Each coupon would have a code for the particular show the viewer wanted to support. The advertisers would obtain a definite metric regarding the success of a specific show. Eyes on their shows would equate to a provable revenue stream; unlike the model in place now. Fans of various programs would be directly responsible for the continuation of their favorite shows. If they were not buying the products from the sponsors then the shows would be canceled. Networks and viewers would be in sink. The days of fan favorite canceled shows would be over. This system would take time to implement, but the Internet is here to stay and growing larger every year. Using this system, a show that has a million viewers could be as profitable as one that has ten million viewers in the old system.
This new form of advertisement would need to be promoted by the Networks. The show actors and actresses would make 20 second, or shorter, spots detailing what the viewer needed to do to support their favorite program. This commercial would be part of the show, and not something that could be removed unlike normal commercials. Traditional commercials of the 10 or 20 second variety would still be used to market to those viewers that did not have access to the Internet. Viewers would be responsible for the continuation of their favorite shows not the whim of TV executives.
Bit torrent sites would no longer be a thorn in the networks side. Those people that want to support their favorite shows would regardless of how they saw the show. More money would flow into the Network coffers making it possible for more quality programming. This solution could work if given a chance. Even if it is implemented slowly at first, to gauge the response of the audience, something needs to be done.
TV shows are paid for by advertisers buying commercial time from networks. The old model is not working as intended. A new way must be implemented before viewers completely abandon network TV. Consumers supporting their favorite shows by purchasing products using special coupons could be one way of fixing this problem. The networks have nothing to lose and much to gain. If you think this idea has merit please pass it around. E-mail comments, suggestions, or criticisms to: mark@fomarcreations.com.