Product Design Gets Wilder, Faster

Internet viewers find content, advertising more 'engaging' than in conventional spots

(NEWSER) - Online video advertising is dramatically more effective than conventional TV commercials, a new study finds. Individuals viewing television shows online were found to be 47% more engaged by advertising than other viewers were by commercials during traditional broadcasts, and 25% more engaged by the programming itself, Ars Technica reports. More»

Copyright-protected content will be available for free online in new NBC-News Corp. partnernship

(NEWSER) - TV biggies NBC Universal and News Corp. are teaming up to hit YouTube with the full force of their their combined TV content, offered online for free. Starting this summer, AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and News Corp. subsidiary MySpace will hope to win over internet users (and the advertising that goes with them) with shows like 24 and Heroes. More»

US sues creators of inescapable online ads

(NEWSER) - You’re probably sick of them by now: those ads that promise “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” next to a drawing of a shrinking stomach. Don’t believe it, the government says: In different lawsuits, federal officials are pursuing those behind the ads, calling them a giant fraud, the Washington Post reports. The ads have garnered “tens of billions” of views, says a US lawyer, and have brought in more than a billion dollars—but they’re rife with misinformation. More»

(NEWSER) - From Rupert Murdoch to Twitter founder Evan Williams, moguls old and young descend on Sun Valley, Idaho, this week for an annual summit on media and technology. This year, reports the Financial Times, the dominant question concerns paid content—a debate that has spread from the troubled newspaper industry to all sectors of media. With advertising dropping by a worse-than-expected 8.5% this year, the power brokers have little choice but to find new models. More»

Microsoft boss says papers, TV won't bounce back

(NEWSER) - The ad revenue media companies lost in the downturn won't be coming back when things turn around, Steve Ballmer told an advertising conference yesterday. The Microsoft boss said the industry has been "reset" at a lower level, and media companies are going to have to learn to survive on less revenue as content continues to move online and traditional media fade, the Guardian reports. More»