Page 67 - TAM Review 2019

Advertising

So, what are the implications of all this on advertising? It
is of course preferable for programmes to be viewed live;

however it would be wrong to presume that time-shifted

advertising is not watched. Even when programmes are

pre-recorded, a significant proportion of ads are viewed
in normal speed.

So, let’s look again at The Handmaid’s Tale on RTÉ2.
Being a drama, and one which appeals to younger

audiences, lots of time-shifting is taking place. In

fact, 69% of 15-34s viewing of the first 5 episodes was
time-shifted. Nevertheless, 32% of 15-34 commercial

impacts (advertisements) delivered by The Handmaid’s

Tale occurred in the time-shift window. Looking again
at Season 2 of Derry Girls (where 82% of its viewing

occurred after its broadcast), 58% of the commercial

impacts came from time-shifting. 9
1

Remember, these ads were viewed in full, at normal

speed with the sound on, even though the programme

was not being viewed live. Importantly, as the bulk of
this catch-up viewing is happening within a couple

of days of original broadcast, these ads are still very

relevant. Review 20

So, in short, live TV viewing is in good health despite

many technological advances. And medically, it’s time to

assign Cotard’s Delusion back to the textbooks.

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