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steps in in-flick ads
Will it lose film buffs to Turner Classic Movies?
By David Everitt
A new study by the 4As and the Association of National Advertisers confirms something that everybody already knows: Cable tends to be plagued by commercial clutter.
In most cases this means that programming seems like little more than an occasional interruption between advertising blocks, as anyone who has tried to watch a show on E! can tell you.
But in the case of a very specific kind of cable channel, programmers have to be much more sensitive to the issue of commercial intrusion: classic movies.
Originally, the appeal of classic movie channels was the opportunity for film buffs to watch old movies without interruption.
But American Movie Classics has recently broken with that practice by inserting what it calls a "commercial intermission" in the middle of its film presentations, and even more recently there has been speculation that the network might take the next step and carry a full commercial load.
This development makes you wonder what constitutes commercial clutter on a type of channel that supposedly thrives on uninterrupted programming.
So far, in terms of taking on full advertising support, AMC says it has nothing to announce at this time.
But its single ad-break per movie--a practice begun this past fall--offers a clear contrast to its chief competitor, Turner Classic Movies, which still presents vintage films commercial-free.
What has been the response of AMC’s film-fan viewers to the channel’s commercial intermissions?
"There’s been surprisingly little reaction," says an AMC spokesperson, "which is especially surprising considering that we’re in 82 million homes. But there’s not been much feedback either way."
TCM is the Johnny Come Lately in this cable category, a significantly younger channel than AMC.
It has no intention of following its predecessor to an ad-based model.
"When we launched our network," says Tom Karsch, TCM executive vice president and general manager, "we were dedicated to showing classic films the way they should be seen, within the limitation, of course, of the small screen. That’s what has made TCM special, and we don’t plan to change that."
AMC maintains that commercials, handled a certain way, do not diminish the cable-movie experience.
The network stresses that their so-called commercial intermissions "start soft," meaning that they begin, say, with a trivia quiz before easing into the ad.
"We’re always concerned," says AMC’s spokesperson, "about delivering a satisfying movie experience to our viewers. But we have determined that one short intermission is not something that’s necessarily troubling to them."
The spokesperson adds that the intermissions "are good for advertisers because they can get inside the program but not in a cluttered environment."
Advertising also plays a role in AMC’s increasing emphasis on original programming, which feature a more conventional commercial load.
These shows, such as the recently launched "Premiere Movie Mag," serve two purposes, according to the network. They create a buzz and increase advertising inventory.
TCM isn’t under the same pressure to generate revenue, according to Karsch.
"Our dynamics are different," he says. Referring to Turner’s film library, he adds, "We own the product that we show, so we don’t have the same kind of programming fees that AMC has. Since we know that Turner has networks like TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network to chase the ad revenue, we can focus on our own specialty."
Karsch believes that the introduction of advertising is just one aspect of a more comprehensive new approach at AMC. He points out that the older classic-movie channel is presenting less-classic and more-contemporary film fare.
Black-and-white flicks from the 1930s and 1940s have become much more rare at AMC, and a recent festival provides a good indication of the channel’s new direction: during the first weekend in March, AMC promoted a "Hits of the 80s" lineup, featuring the likes of Kathleen Turner and Richard Gere rather than Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart.
"AMC’s decisions have put us in an interesting position," says Karsch. "The fact is that the Hertz of our category has decided to desert the category and leave it to Avis. Once, we had to scream to get our share of voice in relation to a channel that had a 10-year head start. Now, we’re not just the leader in our category, and soon we’ll be the only one in the category."
AMC, of course, would beg to differ with that assessment, but the question remains how far the network will go to change its original business plan.
Although the network isn’t providing any clue about whether it will incorporate more commercial interruptions, observers are likely to make note of how one of AMC’s sister channels developed. Bravo, another Rainbow Media network, also started out commercial-free and now has full advertising support.
March 26, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-David Everitt covers television and technology for Media Life, writing from Huntington, New York.
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