Advertisers may soon land leading roles in British television.
The British government is now discussing possibilities of opening the door to TV for advertisers. If this plan is approved, it can possibly boost the ad industry and network TV.
In the US, consumers are used to seeing product promotions knitted in series plots. These types of product placements will be new in UK TV.
The UK product placement consultation period ended yesterday. In the US, product placement is a 2-billion-dollar-a-year industry and the UK hopes that it will bring just as much to TV networks and advertisers.
?We?re very excited about the possibilities,? commented Alistair Roberts from Endemol, a brand that wants to capitalize on UK product placements. ?It?s not the answer to all the ills of the industry but the TV market is under pressure because of the recession.?
Statistics indicate that UK TV advertising dipped by 15 percent last year. And, they also estimate that allowing product placement will bring in an additional 140 million pounds a year.
Source: BusinessWeek