The New York Times Examines The Product Placement Phenomenon

Well, it’s not breaking news to us, but tomorrow’s (the Sunday edition) Times finds it fit to print:

But some in the television industry fret that those with less successful track records or at smaller networks will not be able to fend off aggressive marketers.
Also worrisome is the tendency of advertisers who are creating brand integrations to gravitate toward heartwarming shows like NBC’s “Three Wishes,” in which the singer Amy Grant ladles out assistance to those in need. “It’s got to be noncontroversial,” said Mr. Riesenberg of Full Circle, whose productions include “Bound for Glory” on ESPN (with Mr. Silverman’s Reveille); the show follows the former football star Dick Butkus as he tries to turn around a high school football team.
Television shows that deal with provocative subjects could find themselves at a financial disadvantage in an environment where networks and studios must rely increasingly on this new source of revenue, Mr. Wells said. “I believe in market forces, but I think the quality of content will suffer,” he said.

The whole article is a nice overview. Worth a read.