ABC Family said it is taking steps to improve audience retention through commercial breaks.
The network said it will increase the number of commercials that air in the first position in commercial pods in the 2007-08 season, reducing the number of network promos that appear there.
Beginning in 2008, it also will adopt tactics it calls “Tease ’n’ Reveal” to keep viewers from changing the channel or skipping forward on their digital video recorders.
At the beginning of the final break in original series, ABC Family will run a sponsored tease urging viewers to stay tuned to see scenes from the next episode. The scenes will be shown at the end of the same commercial break.
During acquired movies, viewers will be asked trivia questions about the films and encouraged to stay tuned during the break to see the answers.
“We listened to our advertisers and are attempting to address their needs” said Laura Nathanson, executive vice president, ad sales, ABC Family. “We believe these tactics reflect our commitment to finding advertising solutions.”
ABC Family also is launching a rewards program. Viewers will be urged to go to ABCFamily.com to answer nightly trivia questions about the network’s shows and commercials. By going to the site, viewers can win for prizes and earn points that can be redeemed for prizes.
“This is an innovative consumer loyalty plan that rewards our viewers, and as it develops it will incorporate additional opportunities and benefits for our advertisers,” Ms. Nathanson said.
(Editor: Horowitz)