Disruptive Technology Disrupts TV Advertising Market Again

TIVO and DVR (digital video recording) technology disrupted the TV advertising industry. Now technology has been created for a "skip proof" TV ad that could bring the industry back to life.

GlobeAndMail reports about an ad created by Canadian toy maker Spin Master Ltd. turned out to be impossible to race through with the fast-forward button.

TV networks must be buzzing this morning over that news.

It won’t be long until someone figures out what it is that makes some ads skip-proof, and the technology will be used by everyone. This would remove a major stumbling block in the advertising game. If we all go back to advertising-supported viewing, advertisers would be more comfortable paying the rates they’re asked, and production studios could be ensured of better financing.

Moreover, a technology that makes ads skip-proof suggests that perhaps other technology could be similarly embedded into the signal stream to foil video piracy.

This is the kind of stuff that shakes an industry. And it will affect your viewing habits too.