InteracTiVoty – Webisodes Belong on the DVR Right Next to the TV Show - Margret Schmidt - MediaBizBloggers

Even though I only watch TV with a DVR I still have quotappointment TVquot Wednesday and Thursday nights this summer were reserved for So You Think You Can Dance Friday night I watch Monk and Saturday night is for Psych even though it records on Friday I love these shows I look forward to these shows And I have to wait for themThese same shows offer webisodes and other videos on their Web sites available throughout the week but I39m not in the mood to pick up the computer after relaxing and watching a show and I never think to go to the Web sites for my favorite shows when I39m using my computer As a result I never see them That form of entertainment isn39t available to me in the place I go for entertainment amp8211 my televisionBring Webisodes to the TVI think there is a great opportunity for TV shows to extend their experience to more than just once a week If webisodes were delivered directly to my Internetconnected DVR and available in my list of shows right next to the fulllength episodes I recorded I would actually watch and I expect enjoy themWhen I sit down at the end of the day to unwind and enjoy some TV I browse my list of shows for the one I would enjoy the most Certain shows always get watched and then deleted the same day they record If webisodes commentary or behindthescenes videos appeared throughout the week I would experience ongoing delight from my favorite shows and those shows would be topofmind more oftenAn 8second commercial is a fastforward proofWebisode advertising is still evolving The most common form seems to be 20 to 30 seconds of preroll before a 2 to 4 minute video with no fastforwarding allowed On a DVR platform fastforwarding is expected but there are two ways to deal with thisYou can set a different expectation If you are making something available on the DVR that wasn39t possible before you can change the rules When the user requests a webisode simply make it clear that there will be commercials that can39t be fastforwarded The same concept applies to fulllength episodes If you make your back catalog of episodes available for free then you can require users to view your commercials If they don39t like these terms then they can pay the 199 per episode fee from a video on demand service like Amazon to enable a commercialfree experienceIf instead you want to keep with the spirit of the DVR platform and allow fastforwarding then you may want to reinvent the webisode commercial Instead of leading with a commercial and annoying users who are waiting for the content start with the webisode itself Insert a commercial or two in the middle but keep the pods to less than 15 seconds each If the user actually picks up the remote and fastforwards through it they39ll speed too far into the content have to hit rewind and probably end up seeing the commercial at least three times in their attempt to avoid it They39ll learn that your commercials aren39t worth trying to skipWith all the effort going into producing entertaining webisodes for online consumption they should have a presence on the television as well TV is the place people expect to watch their shows Webisodes on the DVR will expand the experience of the show beyond just once per week and will increase webisode viewership because they can be automatically delivered Share the content wider and you will increase your advertising opportunities and delight your viewersMargret Schmidt is Vice President of User Experience for TiVo Inc Follow her at httptwittercomtivodesignOther articles by MargretInteracTiVoty Getting to Know DVR UsersInteracTiVoty Designing for TV Keep It SimpleInteracTiVoty Why We quotTestquot our TV UI DesignsInteracTiVoty DVR Advertising for Viewers Who Don39t Want Commercials

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InteracTiVoty – Webisodes Belong on the DVR Right Next to the TV Show - Margret Schmidt - MediaBizBloggers

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