News tickers: Advertisers demand TV ads without interruption
PAS extends deadline for TV channels to December 31 to comply running ads without interruption.
KARACHI:
Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) has formed a sub-committee to address concerns of Pakistan Advertisers’ Society (PAS) before December 31 over news tickers that TV channels run during commercial breaks.
Sources said that in a meeting on September 28, PBA constituted the five-member sub-committee to negotiate with PAS, which has asked TV channels to air advertisements during commercial breaks without any interruption on account of news tickers.
In its letter on September 26, PAS gave TV channels the deadline of October 1, saying that non-compliance on the part of TV channels would result in non-payment of dues. PAS has now extended the deadline to December 31.
“Please ensure that airing of our clients’ advertisements/spots during a commercial break... is without any interruption on account of any news, scrolls, tickers, etc. Also, the advertisements/spots should be in full screen without any kind of intrusion and overwrite,” the PAS letter said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PAS Executive Director Qamar Abbas said the letter was addressed to TV channels instead of PBA. “We’ve been discussing the matter with PBA since March. Now we’ve addressed our concerns to TV channels directly.”
PAS has also demanded that TV channels should rerun an advertisement if it is interrupted on account of breaking news. “If there is breaking news, the advertisement/spot may be interrupted with only one condition that such interruption/intrusion is adequately compensated to our satisfaction within a reasonable period of time mutually agreed with us,” the letter said.
PAS sent its letter to TV channels through GroupM, a media buying house based in Karachi. Speaking to The Express Tribune, GroupM Head of Buying Shaukat Mahmud said that on behalf of leading advertisers of Pakistan, including Unilever, Telenor and Pepsi, GroupM had sent at least three letters to TV channels in the past two and a half months. “Our stance remains the same, ie if our commercials are not aired (without scrolls/tickers), then GroupM shall not pay for aired spots.”
Terming the demand of PAS “irrational,” Express News Sales Director Imran Ansari said the advertisers’ representative body didn’t provide TV channels with evidence or credible research that proved news tickers during commercial breaks led to a fall in advertisers’ revenue.
“Ticker is my identity. I can’t let my viewers stay away from news even for a second,” he said, adding that TV channels had been running scrolls in commercial breaks for at least six years. “Why has PAS taken up this issue only now?”
Ansari said Indian TV channels also ran tickers during ad breaks. “Their advertisers raised objections in the past, but TV channels prevailed eventually.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a PBA official said it was highly unlikely that the representative body of TV channels would accept the demand of PAS. “I think TV channels will keep running advertisements along with tickers and scrolls after the deadline.”
He said the concern of advertisers over news tickers was pointless. “News tickers actually keep viewers tuned in during commercial breaks. Scrolls hold viewers’ attention, which actually benefits advertisers,” he said. “Who sits in front of a TV set just to watch ads?”
This correspondent tried to approach three leading advertisers, but they weren’t available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2011.
Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) has formed a sub-committee to address concerns of Pakistan Advertisers’ Society (PAS) before December 31 over news tickers that TV channels run during commercial breaks.
Sources said that in a meeting on September 28, PBA constituted the five-member sub-committee to negotiate with PAS, which has asked TV channels to air advertisements during commercial breaks without any interruption on account of news tickers.
In its letter on September 26, PAS gave TV channels the deadline of October 1, saying that non-compliance on the part of TV channels would result in non-payment of dues. PAS has now extended the deadline to December 31.
“Please ensure that airing of our clients’ advertisements/spots during a commercial break... is without any interruption on account of any news, scrolls, tickers, etc. Also, the advertisements/spots should be in full screen without any kind of intrusion and overwrite,” the PAS letter said.
Talking to The Express Tribune, PAS Executive Director Qamar Abbas said the letter was addressed to TV channels instead of PBA. “We’ve been discussing the matter with PBA since March. Now we’ve addressed our concerns to TV channels directly.”
PAS has also demanded that TV channels should rerun an advertisement if it is interrupted on account of breaking news. “If there is breaking news, the advertisement/spot may be interrupted with only one condition that such interruption/intrusion is adequately compensated to our satisfaction within a reasonable period of time mutually agreed with us,” the letter said.
PAS sent its letter to TV channels through GroupM, a media buying house based in Karachi. Speaking to The Express Tribune, GroupM Head of Buying Shaukat Mahmud said that on behalf of leading advertisers of Pakistan, including Unilever, Telenor and Pepsi, GroupM had sent at least three letters to TV channels in the past two and a half months. “Our stance remains the same, ie if our commercials are not aired (without scrolls/tickers), then GroupM shall not pay for aired spots.”
Terming the demand of PAS “irrational,” Express News Sales Director Imran Ansari said the advertisers’ representative body didn’t provide TV channels with evidence or credible research that proved news tickers during commercial breaks led to a fall in advertisers’ revenue.
“Ticker is my identity. I can’t let my viewers stay away from news even for a second,” he said, adding that TV channels had been running scrolls in commercial breaks for at least six years. “Why has PAS taken up this issue only now?”
Ansari said Indian TV channels also ran tickers during ad breaks. “Their advertisers raised objections in the past, but TV channels prevailed eventually.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a PBA official said it was highly unlikely that the representative body of TV channels would accept the demand of PAS. “I think TV channels will keep running advertisements along with tickers and scrolls after the deadline.”
He said the concern of advertisers over news tickers was pointless. “News tickers actually keep viewers tuned in during commercial breaks. Scrolls hold viewers’ attention, which actually benefits advertisers,” he said. “Who sits in front of a TV set just to watch ads?”
This correspondent tried to approach three leading advertisers, but they weren’t available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2011.