LA Times: Last week, Audi launched its own television channel in Britain, which, if successful, could be rolled out in other countries too.
The Audi Channel will run 24 hours, seven days a week and is aimed at a mass-market audience: British car owners and car enthusiasts. The launch schedule is split between product-related “infotainment” during the day and more general entertainment-driven material in the evenings and on weekends.
The channel is being broadcast to 7.6 million British homes over the Sky Digital satellite television platform. More viewers will get the service in coming months when Audi UK completes negotiations on terrestrial digital platforms operated by Freeview and cable television operators. The channel also is being made available for broadband Internet users via Audi UK’s website.
The channel has cost 2 million pounds (about $3.5 million) to set up, and Audi is committing 1 million to 2 million pounds more a year to cover running costs — equivalent to annual expenditure on the Audi UK website.
The decision to extend from advertiser to broadcaster was born of growing frustration with a fragmenting media marketplace and concern that British viewers were spending less time engaging with the brand’s TV advertising, said Gary Savage, Audi UK’s marketing director.
[via PSFK]
