Getting a phone call from Dan O’Brien, CEO of Brief Original Broadcasts (BOB), shortly after he had attended the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) confab in Boston seemed somehow fitting. Among the developments at the CTAM event was the unveiling of a study from media consulting/research firm The Carmel Group, which pro-jects that there will be 28.6 million personal digital video recorder (PVR) users in this country by the year 2008. That translates into one out of every four U.S. television homes being equipped with a PVR.
This household penetration dovetailed perfectly with the reason O’Brien called me—to discuss the rationale behind the formation of BOB, a digital TV network devoted to independently produced short-form programs targeted to 21- to 34-year-old viewers. Reliant on revenue generated by advertiser sponsorship, BOB is scheduled to launch nationally on a 24/7 basis via cable and satellite in January ’03.
As reported last week (SHOOT, 7/26, p. 1), BOB gained its first charter sponsor, Anheuser-Busch, which made a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment to the network. The deal underscores the growing relevance and validity of emerging media offering sponsored content and/or advertainment.
O’Brien assessed that BOB offers an alternative to—not a replacement for—conventional advertising. BOB, he said, helps address issues raised by increased PVR penetration in U.S. households over the coming years. PVR users are likely to skip TV commercials, meaning that it’s incumbent upon advertiser messages to be entertaining and/or relevant in order to earn viewership. New outlets such as BOB, contended O’Brien, provide means to better enable clients and agencies to break through to viewers in an ever-changing advertising/media landscape.
BOB will offer entertainment fare—from one to eight minutes long—that consists of short films and "brand clips." The latter is described by BOB president/co-founder Olivier Katz as being "corporately produced entertainment for which creative guidelines have been set to help ensure less explicit commercial messages, with the emphasis on providing a well rounded experience for viewers who will seek BOB as a cultural destination."
Advertisers can also opt to sponsor short-form programming that they haven’t commissioned or that already exists. However, a high percentage of programs on BOB will not have sponsors. Katz said that, even as BOB gains momentum and becomes firmly established, the combination of brand clips and shorts sponsored by advertisers will never exceed 50 percent of a given hour’s content. BOB is initially pursuing eight to 12 major charter sponsors.
BOB intends to tap into assorted independent filmmaking sources, including spot directors and producers, music video helmers, documentarians, short film specialists and student filmmakers. Ad agency creatives will also be afforded opportunities to flex their filmmaking muscles as content providers.
O’Brien and Katz estimate that BOB will reach eight million to 12 million households during its first year. The two BOB execs predict growth to about 50 million households in five to six years.
Anheuser-Busch and its agencies are exploring their program development options for BOB. O’Brien said that Anheuser-Busch’s lead ad shop, DDB Chicago, has begun to create storyboards for short-form entertainment.
"We’re pleased to support the Brief Original Broadcast network, which we believe will provide a unique venue for short-filmmakers and a wide array of fresh entertainment for television viewers," stated Bob Lachky, Anheuser-Busch’s VP of brand management and director of global creative.
"From an advertiser’s standpoint, the timing couldn’t be better," continued Lachky. "The advertising community is looking for ways to meet the changing realities of television viewing. BOB’s format provides an innovative solution as we look for new ways to reach our consumers."
