Washington Post reports that when CBS television writers and producers sat down this spring to think about "Jericho," a new program for this fall, they crafted two story lines: one that would appear on television and one that would appear -- and fish for ad dollars -- only on the Internet.
CBS calls the second one the "D" storyline, for digital. It will involve the characters and premise of the show but will consist of original content available only on the company's expanded Web site and on cellphones, where advertisers search for younger, harder-to-reach consumers.
For half a century, the 30-second commercial spot was the template for television advertising, a one-size-fits-all solution that networks offered everyone from soapmakers to car companies -- take it or leave it.
They still pack a punch -- for launching blockbuster movies, for instance -- but now that networks face increasing competition for ad dollars from the Internet and the wandering attention of viewers, the 30-second spot is only one ingredient in a cocktail of options that networks are mixing for advertisers.
CBS calls the second one the "D" storyline, for digital. It will involve the characters and premise of the show but will consist of original content available only on the company's expanded Web site and on cellphones, where advertisers search for younger, harder-to-reach consumers.
For half a century, the 30-second commercial spot was the template for television advertising, a one-size-fits-all solution that networks offered everyone from soapmakers to car companies -- take it or leave it.
They still pack a punch -- for launching blockbuster movies, for instance -- but now that networks face increasing competition for ad dollars from the Internet and the wandering attention of viewers, the 30-second spot is only one ingredient in a cocktail of options that networks are mixing for advertisers.