Virgin Media starts running ads around on-demand TV content

by Fiona Ramsay, marketingmagazine.co.uk 25-Nov-09, 10:27

LONDON - Virgin Media is rolling out ads from brands including L'Oreal, Sony Ericsson, Kellogg's and Microsoft around LIVING, Virgin1 and Bravo content on its on-demand TV platform.

Advertising will roll-out across Virgin Media's on-demand TV service, currently in 3.7 million households, beginning with 300,000 homes from this month.

Thirty-second pre-roll and post-roll ads will be matched to the programme being watched.

In trials of 100,000 homes with on-demand ads, Virgin Media found 54% of people were positive about advertising when watching on-demand content from commercial providers. Some 65% preferred to see ads beforehand with ads lasting 30 seconds the most popular format. Respondents also favoured ads relevant to the programme being watched.

IDS, the advertising sales house of Virgin Media, is managing the advertising space for companies including Cadbury's, COI, Coty, Electronic Arts, John Frieda, Kellogg's, L'Oreal, LG, Microsoft, Nestle, Sony Ericsson and Unilever.

Meanwhile, Virgin Media has signed a deal with TiVo to produce Virgin Media's next generation high-definition set top boxes, which will be launched next year.