Letters: Is the internet up to providing on-demand TV?
From Kieron O'Brien, CEO, PacketExchange
NMA recently discussed the opportunities for advertisers posed by on-demand TV services like 4oD and Joost (NMA 10.05.07). The potential for developing interactive and rich-media ads is clearly attractive, but can the public internet support such a business model?
The internet was designed by academics for academics as a simple way to exchange raw data. Even back in 2000, the public internet was being asked to do things it wasn't capable of. We recently conducted a survey looking at online web habits and found that almost 70% of surfers would wait less than ten seconds for a site to load before looking for an alternative.
The challenge for the ad industry and future internet broadcasters is ensuring that online ads don't affect the viewing experience of the consumer and drive them away.


