Interactive TV ads catch up with Web

Zip TV, the independent iTV ad provider, has beaten Sky to the job of introducing a new tool – called the "zip i-count" – that doesn't require television viewers to submit their personal details or request more information on interactive TV applications for advertisers to see that they've interacted with it.

What that means is brands can now see how many people window shop as well as how many punters come into the shop to actually take a closer look at the merchandise.

Guy Abbott, business development director at Zip TV, said: "Up until now measuring the viewers that press red has been based on an estimate. The industry can tell how many people have entered a competition, or requested further information, as they submit their details through the return path. But those viewers that enter the interactive space and browse, maybe play a game or watch a trailer, and do not enter their details, are not recorded.

"We can now measure the exact number of viewers that see the interactive campaign. This is a vital measurement tool for all brand building interactive campaigns which now do not need to rely on a return path mechanism to demonstrate accountability.

This might not seem like that big a deal, but the new system promises to give a much more accurate idea of how many people react to the interactive applications on television ad.

It's interesting that Sky Digital, pretty much the only iTV platform, was not first to offer the service.

A spokesman at Sky Interactive played down the importance of the development by Zip TV. He said that the new measurement tactic by Zip has been achieved by moving the online connection of the ad forward. Instead of going online when they register their details, the set top box dials in as soon as the user presses red.

Zip is a rival to Sky in terms of the development and provision of iTV campaigns, although Sky Digital is the only platform that can actually broadcast them.

Sky was keen to stress that Sky could offer those sorts of results at anytime if a brand demanded it, and that Sky View, the digital broadcaster's 20,000 strong audience panel research project which will publish its first data early next year, will offer even greater insight into the reaction to and effectiveness of interactive TV ads.

Julian Dobinson, head of research at Sky, said: "Sky View will undoubtedly bring greater accountability to interactive advertising. For the first time we will be able to measure on a robust sample who presses the red button to enter a dedicated advertiser location, how long they spend there, and whether they go more than once."

Zip launched in August this year, quire late behind schedule after securing agreements with broadcasters took longer than was planned. However, the outfit is now up and running strong. During the summer it launched its first iTV campaign for client Honda, and since then, the outfit has signed an agreement with Channel 4, and is also offered by Sky to brands who want to add interactive elements to their campaigns.

How groundbreaking the ZipTV insight will be into interactive TV advertising remains to be seen, but the move from the operator is an interesting one which promises to show how likely viewers are to interact with a brand, if not their products.