Telemundo will reformat its primetime ad breaks to introduce its commercial innovation, the "Power Pod," which will make the first commercial break in every primetime show 60 seconds in length. First announced during Telemundo's Upfront presentation on 5/15, the Power Pod will be made available to Telemundo's advertisers starting fall 2007 and will also be offered on the network's cable outlet mun2, for advertisers looking to target the younger, bilingual Hispanic.
"Our Power Pod is an option for our advertising partners that are looking for a new way to get their message across to consumers in a less cluttered, more effective environment," said Steve Mandala, SVP/Sales, Marketing and Distribution for Telemundo and NBC Universal Networks. "We are always looking for new, creative offerings for our advertising partners to engage their consumers in as many different ways as possible."
SmartMedia observation: This is likely the beginning of more specialized offerings from other networks to entice advertisers concerned with placement within breaks. Remember, in an ever-expanding DVR world, the first and last positions in a break are least likely to be fast-forwarded. As well, the first position is likely the most likely to be watched before "channel surfing" kicks in on a break. With commercial minute ratings data now available from Nielsen and second by second data available from TiVo, the placement of spots will be more commoditized than ever before. Offering a premium on the first spot in a break is the logical reaction.
