Nichecasting goes <u>too</u> far…
500 channels and nothing on? Well nothing, unless you drive an Audi.
I’ve learnt my lesson. I shouldn’t have been channel-hopping between all those odd little channels just under the movies.
Because I found it there: The Audi Channel.
Nothing but Audi content on a low-bandwidth satellite channel. While media organisations like Future Publishing built their market position on niche magazines, it seems odd that there’s market space for a manufacturer-run advertorial channel. Sure, sponsor a show or send a DVD out to the world in a mass-mail shot, but fill bandwidth with your own advertising? Has channel space on the Sky satellites suddenly got cheaper than a prime time advert? Or is this just going to be a short-lived PR stunt?
What will be next? The Wiskas Channel? The Cillit-Bang Channel? The All New Ocean Finance Loan Channel? The Yes Car Credit Channel?
I think I’m scaring myself…
Simon's Backup Weblog 
on October 29, 2005 on 1:37 pm
Well, exactly. You watch adverts because they get in the way of your actual shows.
You _might_ watch a car-ads channel, if you wanted lots of stuff about cars – but why on earth would you watch one dedicated to one kind of car?
Roll on widespread IPTV/VoD and the death of the channel.
on October 29, 2005 on 1:48 pm
I bought Sky+ so I don’t have to watch the adverts.
I can watch an hour of Veronica Mars in 50 minutes that way.
on October 29, 2005 on 1:49 pm
I have a Tivo for the same reason.
Well, actually I have a Tivo so it can record my TV for me and I don’t have to pay attention to it.
But fast forwarding the adverts is a nice bonus.
on October 29, 2005 on 3:00 pm
Right now, I’m listening to The Minimalism Channel. They’ve been playing John Cage’s 4′ 33″ [1] for rather a long time. Perhaps I should give them a call and ask them if their turntable has stuck?
[1] Listen Here to a MIDI rendition.
on October 29, 2005 on 4:56 pm
This may actually make economic sense. How many Audi dealerships are there? And how much would it cost to send all of them new tapes etc. every week or so (assuming that Audi showrooms have TV advertising displays, which seems likely, and that they revise prices and offers fairly often)?
Alternatively, of course, it may just be a channel which will eventually carrying something else but is currently carrying Audi advertising while they test it.
on October 29, 2005 on 5:34 pm
50 minutes? You’re not trying hard enough, you should be able to get it down to 45 minutes without missing any of the show. I’m just annoyed I didn’t spot Veronica Mars was on until halfway through the season.
on October 29, 2005 on 5:36 pm
The Living TV station idents are too short – we always end up overshooting, and then having to go back…