According to The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. req.), the ability to direct ads to viewers’ specific interests which is driving the growth of Internet advertising, could also fuel the new ad opportunities on cable platforms.
Cable operators, through which a majority of Americans watch TV, are developing a new generation of marketing platform, including video-on-demand and interactive ads that marry traditional TV viewing with the ability to order coupons, target messages to specific viewers or interact in other ways that are more common online.
The business model is nascent, but cable operators, which today generate less than 10% of their total revenue from advertising, have made such new advertising platforms among their highest future priorities.