Indiantelevision.com Team

(15 April 2008 7:30 pm)

MUMBAI: ABC will announce shortly that its late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live will integrate live commercials into each episode of the programme subject to advertisers' interest, reports Adweek.com. The first live commercials are expected to begin in May.

The technique is a throwback to the early days of television, when programmes were produced live and advertisers often sponsored shows in their entirety.

But now live spots are seen as a way to standout, just as the official yardstick for measuring ads on network TV has shifted to commercial ratings. In May 2007, car navigational systems manufacturer Garmin aired the first live commercial on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 14 years, the Adweek.com report adds.

ABC VP of late-night sales Doug Hochstadt confirmed that the Kimmel show would begin to accept live ads shortly. Hochstadt and his team are reaching out to advertisers, and the network hopes to start running live commercials in mid-May.

"We're thrilled to be offering it," Hochstadt was quoted as saying. "It just gives us one more way that our customers can touch the product."