Thursday, May 17th, 2012
In Britain, Tory plans to bring commercial goods to television. Under these plans, firms will be able to advertise their products on television shows; this will raise revenues for the TV network.
As commented by Glen Owen of dailymail.co.uk, ?It could mean, for instance, that Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in Midsomer Murders has to swap his Jaguar for a Mondeo if Ford struck a deal.?
In the United States, product placement and branded entertainment are growing everyday. However, this advertising approach is prohibited in Europe, because Ministers believe it will ?contaminate? programmes.
However, Ed Vaizey?the Shadow Culture Minister?argues in favor of product placement. With a looming financial crisis, product placement is a great way for TV networks to alleviate their losses.
Vaizey commented, ?I would have no opposition to the lead in a drama series driving a Ford Mondeo in exchange for a six-figure sum. If that means preserving the quality of British drama output, then that would be a price worth paying. I do not think that if someone bought a KitKat or a Mars the world would come to an end ? but ITV might be able to make slightly more money.?
Analysts say that ITV can generate over ?35million a year from product placement alone.
